Purpose: The goal is to get the lowest score possible. Students will build a small car out of certain materials. Students will also create a mechanical drive system for their car. The car will have a raw chicken egg on the front. The objective is to get the egg as close as possible to a target on a wall without breaking the egg. The target is 4 meters away from the start. The car needs to stay within a certain track. Students may work alone or in pairs. Students must declare groups within one week.
It is the responsibility of students to work out their own problems! If a group wants to split up, they must both meet with the teacher. It may be necessary to have both partners' parents present at this meeting.
Requirements for the car: The car may be no more than 75 cm long, and 50 cm wide, and no more than 100cm tall. The car wheels must be completely made out of flat cardboard The car body may be made out of flat cardboard or cardboard boxes. There must be 4 wheels. Parts will be held together with glue and/or tape. Axles may be wood only. Students may also use rubber bands. The total mass of the entire vehicle may not exceed 3000 grams. Then only weights permitted are rocks The car will carry an egg at the front center. The egg must extend at least 1cm beyond the front of any other parts of the car. The egg must not have its center any more than 14 centimeters above the floor. The egg must be a raw chicken egg and may not be altered in any way.
Allowed Materials List – Note: NO OTHER MATERIALS ARE PERMITTED!!!
1. One meter or less of wooden dowel ½ inch diameter or less.
2. You may make the car body with a cardboard box or assemble it out of flat pieces.
3. Flat corrugated cardboard, computer paper, loose leaf paper, poster board, paper towels and tissue.
4. Rubber bands.
5. Rocks for weights.
6. Glue and tape.
7. String.
Requirements for the mechanical drive system: The drive system must be completely mechanical and be powered by a rubber band or a falling mass. The car itself could be the falling mass. It is ok to have the drive system attached to the vehicle or separate on the floor. The drive system may only be made from the same materials listed above. If the drive system is separate from the car, it may be no more than 3000 grams itself.
The Track: Draw a diagram on the back to show the track and label these dimensions: 1 meter wide,
4 meters long, barriers on the sides at 2 meters. The sides of the track are called penalty zones. If the
egg on the car goes into the penalty zone, or the car runs into a side barrier, that run counts as 800. If
a significant part of the car falls off, such as the egg, that run has the same penalty. The car should stop
as close as possible to the wall target. Each cm away adds 4 points. There will be 1 point added for
each cm the car is away from the center of the runway. Students will be allowed 3 tries and receive the
average of their best two scores.
Scoring System: Grades will be calculated according to this formula:
A = less than 81
Distance from wall (4 x #cm)…………………………..._____ B = 81-200
Distance from center of runway (1 x #cm)…………..… _____ C = 201-600
Broken egg ( + 200)………………………………..……_____ D = 601- 800
Self contained drive system (-50)…….……...…....…....._____
Self contained falling mass drive system (-75)………...._____
Decorated and named (up to –25)………………………._____
Self supporting ramp (-25)………………………………_____
Enters penalty zone or contacts barrier (+800)................._____
Egg Roll checks:
1. Two wheels completed by _11/20_.
2. All four wheels completed by _11/28_.
1. 3. Students may test their cars at school most days before or after school.
2. 4. There will be two workshops after school. You can come and work if you want.