Rubber Band Carpet Racer™

Description

The rubber band carpet racer kit is an easy build project with pre-cut parts.  This racer has the cogged wheels and is designed to run on carpet.

It is 13″ long, 2 3⁄4″ high and 2 1⁄2″ wide, made from three layer birch hardwood.  You will find that the kit contains all parts needed for the racer, including body parts, wheels, axles, fastening screws for the wheels, and, of course, some rubber bands.

The racer ejects the rubber band after its energy is mostly used up.  You can choose to determine the winner by how far the car goes or by how much farther the rubber band travels.

We also offer a lesson plan which covers a variety of experiments you can do.  Try different types and sizes of rubber bands. Learn how to measure the force a rubber band provides, how to test your vehicle and more.  It covers topics such as the math and physics behind the racer, the history of a rubber band, and other interesting items.  The plan is in a lesson format including questions and answers that you can use for educational purposes.

Assembly time: 1 Hour

Recommended for Age 13+

Caution: Racer ejects the rubber band at the end of travel.

Lesson Plan

This lesson plan is divided into many different things that you can do with your Rubber Band Carpet Racer™.  Some are things that you build, measure, or test, and some are things that you have to think or write about. These encourage you to explore areas that you might not be familiar with.

In each section there are questions that you or a student can work on to check their understanding of that specific topic.  The appendix provides answers to the questions including an explanation as to why.

The lesson plan was designed so the section entitled Experiment can be printed or handed out separately. The theory section is study material that should be read and understood before starting the experiment section.