1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,000 Hi, I'm Bianca Baker. 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:03,000 And I'm Kayleigh. 3 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:09,000 Hello, good morning. I'm Jared, a fifth grader here at King's Cross Education Action Zone. 4 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:11,000 How's the video conference going? 5 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:17,000 Hi Bianca and Kayleigh, I'm Kirsty. The video conference is very interesting. 6 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:24,000 This is our second design meeting and Mr. Logan from NASA Langley Research Centre is helping us with the challenge. 7 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:29,000 Right now we are reviewing our test results. Why don't you two join us? 8 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:33,000 Looking at the test data, it looks like we've made some great improvements. 9 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:36,000 Does anybody have any problems that I can help you with? 10 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:43,000 Mr. Logan, this is Kirsty. The wheels in our car just seem to spin and the car doesn't go very far. 11 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:46,000 This is where the redesign process can really help improve your model. 12 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:49,000 Think about redesigning your car so that the wheels get better traction. 13 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:52,000 You might try testing different materials for your wheels. 14 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:56,000 You have to balance the amount of friction you get with the weight you add to your car. 15 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:59,000 Sounds like it's time for redesign. 16 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:01,000 Exactly. Let me know what you come up with. 17 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:05,000 Until next week, be sure to keep track of all your data and your trial notes. 18 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:09,000 What if we added balloons to the wheels? Would it add too much weight? 19 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:13,000 I don't think so. Actually, I think rubber bands might just work. 20 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:17,000 Sounds like a cool project, but what exactly is a mousetrap car? 21 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:23,000 It is a challenge to build a car using a mousetrap as the only form of propulsion. 22 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:27,000 Our designs will be judged on the distance the car travels. 23 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:28,000 How did you begin? 24 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:31,000 We began by following the design process. 25 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:37,000 Our teachers gave us a mousetrap car kit, like this one, and some other materials to work with. 26 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:40,000 We looked over materials and brainstormed ideas. 27 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:47,000 That's right. We decided we needed to do some research on energy, work, force and simple machines. 28 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:52,000 Once we felt that our designs was going to work, we started building the model. 29 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:55,000 But we had a problem when our axles wouldn't turn. 30 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:57,000 We had trouble with our axles, too. 31 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:03,000 After more research, we learned that the axle needed sanding. 32 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:08,000 This helped reduce the amount of friction so that it could spin more easily. 33 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:09,000 What are you doing now? 34 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:13,000 We have been testing our cars to see how far they would go. 35 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:18,000 The first trial didn't go very well. The car only went one meter. 36 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:21,000 Our second and third trials weren't much better. 37 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:24,000 We did have a few trials that went over two meters. 38 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:28,000 After ten trials, we averaged 1.4 meters. 39 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:31,000 We are hoping that the rubber bands will help. 40 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:34,000 Testing is really important in the design process. 41 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:40,000 Yes, it is. By conducting tests, we can see the problem before race day. 42 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:46,000 Of course. The trials that were over two meters were done at home on carpet. 43 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:48,000 That's it. The carpet added friction. 44 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:53,000 In that case, the rubber bands should create enough friction to increase the distance. 45 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:57,000 Please excuse us, but we have to get to work right away. 46 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:00,000 Thanks for all the information and good luck in your competition. 47 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:04,000 Be sure to post your results on the Sci-Files Kids Club website. 48 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:05,000 We want to know how it turns out. 49 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:07,000 We will. Bye from London. 50 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:09,000 Bye.