How to Make a Non-Powered Car?
2 Answers
To make a wheeled car, if conditions are tough, you can carve a semicircular groove under a wooden block. Press this groove onto a cylindrical pencil. For balance, you need to carve two grooves. Then the car can naturally slide down from a higher place. If it's still difficult to slide, place a heavy object on the car, such as a lead block or weight. The power comes from the gravity acting on the car. Gravity pulls the car from a higher place to a lower one. Therefore: increasing the car's weight can enhance the power it receives. The resistance comes from the friction between the car and the inclined surface, and this friction will increase correspondingly with the car's weight.
I'll share the method of making a gravity-powered car from an educational perspective. A gravity-powered car refers to a simple model that moves by gravity or pushing force, ideal for demonstrating physics principles. During construction, the key is preparing the car body material and wheel system: cut a piece of cardboard or lightweight wood into the shape of a car body, then use recycled materials like bottle caps, old CDs, or small beads as wheels; for the wheel axles, you can use pencils, bamboo sticks, or straws, securing them to the bottom of the car body with tape or glue. To make the car slide more smoothly, ensure the wheels rotate freely and reduce surface friction—for example, by applying some wax to the axles to decrease resistance. Once completed, test the car on a slope: set up a slope with a long wooden board, measure the sliding distance and speed changes to understand the effects of gravity and inertia. You can also engage children in discussions about how different wheel materials affect friction, making this hands-on activity combined with critical thinking very enjoyable.
