What does making a balloon car teach – force, energy, mass relationships?
The balloon car activity teaches students to understand the various forces that are on an object (in this case the balloon car) while stationary and in motion. When forces like balloon thrust, drag force, friction force, etc. are in equilibrium while the balloon car is in motion, the car will move at a constant speed. Unbalanced forces, like a loss of balloon thrust, will cause the balloon car to lose velocity and eventually come to a stop, hopefully in 1st place. In addition, the students learn to develop and design their car using various engineering principles such as aerodynamics concepts, friction force effects, size and weight properties, and structural design considerations. Students also learn about design trade study concepts like brainstorming, build, test, redesign, etc. Does hands-on creation help create pathways in the brain that explain math and science perhaps better than a demonstration by someone else? It’s our experience that there is no better way to become excited a
