CO2 Dragsters- 'probably the most popular workshop'
In this workshop, the participants build a small carbon dioxide cartridge into a car, which propels down a flat, level track. They're super quick, on a (20-metre) track, the cars can cross the finish line in just over a second, travelling at a top speed of around 90 kilometers per hour.
The CO2 dragster may be small, but it's going to be moving at incredible speeds when you race it. That means it will be subjected to a wide variety of forces that affect its motion and velocity. Here are some of the principal forces involved:
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Mass: Obviously, this is how large and heavy the car is. Simply put, the less weight your dragster has, the faster it will go. This is the most important factor that will figure into your design. Keep it light!
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Thrust: The gas escaping from the CO2 cartridge in the car.
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Friction: The second most important fact you'll face. Because the dragster has parts moving against one another, friction is created. You can help reduce it by making sure the axles are free to rotate, and that the wheels are not rubbing on the car body.
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Drag: Here's where aerodynamics come into play. As an object moves through the air, it is met with air resistance as speeds increase. This air resistance pushes against your CO2 car and prevents it from going as fast as it could in a vacuum. You can't completely ever reduce drag, but you can help reduce it by building a more aerodynamic car.
Once the cars are ready to race, the sealed CO2 cartridge is inserted and they are placed on the starting grid. They're hooked up to a device called a launch pod, which punctures the cartridges of the two cars at the same time. In terms of physics, the rapidly escaping gas illustrates Newton's Third Law of Motion -- for every action there is an equal or opposite reaction. The rearward motion of the gas pushes the car forward in this case, overcoming inertia or the resistance to movement.
We have recently upgraded our race track so the action has moved to new heights.
