There are two areas - teacher area, student area- on the front page of the website. In the teacher area, teachers can find useful materials including a student web quest worksheet, lab guidelines, a data table for balloon car racer, and resources related to Newton's Laws. The student area includes materials and resources for students' activities.

Experiment Content - Racing With Newton's Laws Lab
Purpose
- Students will understand Newton's Laws of Motion by constructing and racing cars that are propelled by balloons.

Materials
1.89 L (half-gallon) juice or milk cartons, 12 inch balloons, straws, scissors, tape, strait pins, wheels, air pump is optional (to save the kids from becoming light-headed. Meter stick and stopwatch needed for recording.

Hypothesis
Make a prediction about how the three Laws of Motion will be evident in this car.

Identify Variables
-Independent Variable: (what factors will you change throughout the experiment?)
-Dependent Variable: (what factors will change because you altered the above factors?)
-Control Variables: (what factors will you keep constant to assure accurate results?)

Procedure: (for building the Balloon Car)
1. Obtain the cartons. Wash them thoroughly before using.
2. Cut one long side out from the carton-DO NOT CUT OFF THE BOTTOM.
3. Again with the scissors, poke a hole in the bottom of the carton. Stick the nozzle of the balloon through the hole, so when the balloon is blown up, it inflates inside the car. Where the hole is poked will determine how fast / slow the car goes.
4. With the opened long side of the carton up, make two holes on the bottom on each side of the car (Two in front, two in back) for the axles.
5. Attach the wheels to the straws by putting strait pins through the straws to hold the wheels in place.
6. Students may design, decorate, and/or shape the cars anyway they would like-to make them more aero-dynamic or appealing.
7. Blow up the balloons and try the cars out. Students should be given enough time to try the cars out and make changes before recording the data. A class period works wells.

Directions: (for racing the car)
1. Be sure that you have a data table to record your information.
2. Using masking tape, create a starting line. Measure out two meters from the starting line. Place another piece of tape to mark the finish line. Start the car behind the starting line.
3. Blow up the balloon and hold the nozzle, making sure the timer is ready. The timer will only record the time from when the car starts until it crosses the finish line. The purpose of this is to get a reading on the car's velocity when its energy is greatest.
4. Release the car. Record, in the data table, the total time from start to finish, as well as, a measurement with the meter stick for how far it traveled.
5. Repeat the previous two steps five times.
6. After you have filled in the table, calculate the average speed of the car and average distance traveled.

Data: Students should record their data in the data table.

Questions:
1. Describe how your car demonstrates Newton's Laws of Motion.
2. Describe what you learned about forces, friction, and aerodynamics during this project. Also describe the changes you made to your car from the building of it, to changes that you made to make it go faster and/or farther.

Example of Project Results

Pictures of racing in Ellwodd,Illonis