Propeller Car
Can a wind-powered car drive into the wind?
- What makes a wind turbine move?
- Which forces make a wind turbine move?
Build the Propeller Car model, and let’s find out...
- Building instructions book, pages 104 - 122
Experiment 1: Into the Wind
- Place your propeller car on the starting line, facing toward the fan.
- Turn on the fan and observe what happens.
- Now add the extra blades to the propeller and repeat the experiment.
- What happened?
- Did it move faster or slower?
- Which combination of propeller blades worked best?
- Record your results on your worksheet.
Experiment 2: Downwind
- The top gearbox of your propeller car can be adjusted to make the car move in different directions.
- Experiment with other gearbox combinations to get your car to travel downwind.
- Which one worked the best?
Experiment 3: More Fan Blades
- Try the 6-bladed propeller (see page 3 of the building instructions book for a hint).
What did you find out?
- Which forces did you observe?
- Was there a pattern?
- Don't forget to record your observations in your science notebook.
