Materials Needed:
- Soda can (empty)
- Sheet of paper
- Tape
- 2 - 1/2" diameter wooden dowels (3' long)
Procedure: (see Figure 7)
- Set up dowels as shown.
- Place the can alone on the dowels.
- Blow on the can and observe its movements and the strength
of the blow.
- Make a cone out of the paper and tape it to the front
of the can.
- Now place the can with the cone facing the side to blow
from.
- Blow on the can and observe its movements and the strength
of the blow.
- What kind of resistance forces would this can feel if it
were a moving vehicle?
- How does the cone end can compare with the flat end can?
Figure 7: Aerodynamic shape investigation setup
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Observations:
In this case the frontal area (area projected to the front or direction
of the air movement) did not change, but the sape affected the amount
of force applied to the object. How can you apply these principles to your
car to make it faster?
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