Re: Sometimes physics is fun

[Rick Swanson <swansonr@EMAIL.SANDHILLS.CC.NC.US>]

Our local high schools do racing with CO2-propelled cars.  They go VERY fast and would probably blow right off the standard pinewood derby track.

For competitions, they run them along wires.  They smack into soft stuff at the end of the run and can get dangerous if not controlled properly.

You could probably figure out a way to control the thrust and you would need a mechanism for releasing the gas (normally done by puncturing them).

Cheers,

Rick

Richard E. Swanson, Ph.D.
Dean of Instruction
Physics Professor
Sandhills Community College, Pinehurst, NC 28374
swansonr@sandhills.edu (910) 695-3715

> > > dcrowe@SOTC.ORG 10/24/03 03:19PM >>>
I think my son uses CO2 capsules in his paint ball gun.

Daniel Crowe
Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics
Ardmore Regional Center
dcrowe@sotc.org 


-----Original Message-----
=46rom: Jack Uretsky [mailto:jlu@HEP.ANL.GOV] 
Sent: Friday, October 24, 2003 1:13 PM
To: PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu 
Subject: Re: Sometimes physics is fun


        How about CO2 capsules.  Are those still around?

On Fri, 24 Oct 2003, J. Green wrote:

> I am going to enter a pinewood derby and am interested in what you =
all might
> think about designs.  But this is no ORDINARY pinewood derby.  They=
 have
> graciously thrown the rule book out the window.  Anything goes (exc=
ept for
> open flames, which I understand).  The contraption needs only to fi=
t on a
> standard pinewood derby track and operate without damaging the trac=
k.  They
> have specifically stated that there are no weight limitations and n=
othing
> against motors.  The real challenge is to do this on the cheap.  An=
yone can
> win with a huge budget, but how to do it cheaply?
>
> Josh Green

--
"Don't push the river, it flows by itself"
                                Frederick Perls