Race Day Was a Major Success !!!

My latest car, the Juice Boxer, successfully surpased the required distance to pass the race. The Juice Boxer actually travelled 7.9 metres in about 12 seconds. It wasn't the fastest or the slowest but it sure was astonishing to see it reach that length. All my other classmates came up with some very awsome designs.

Juice Boxer

The Juice Boxer is the new and improved balloon car. This design is more aerodynamic then my previous ones. It has some secrets which I will explain further on.
As you can see, the chassis of my car is a juice box. The juice box made a great chassis because it can be cut into whatever size and shape you require. It is also very compatible with the size of the balloon because the chassis can sustain the balloon when it is blown up. Not like my other cars where the balloon made them flip.
The engine of my car is a balloon. The balloon could be blown into full diameter without touching the wheels. The air power of the balloon is what makes the car move. It is not necessary to inflate the balloon to full diameter. The Juice Boxer is light enough to move at a relevant speed in a straight line. The balloon also allows the Juice Boxer to travel 5 meters without a problem.
I have used an exhaust pipe to let the air from the balloon escape towards the rear end of the vehicle. Therefore making it move forward. The exhaust pipe is made of four straws and placed inside the balloon allowing it to be blown and exert air. The exhaust pipe regulates the expulsion of air from the balloon therefore making the air last longer and making the car go further.
The wheels of the Juice Boxer are made out of CDs. The CDs are perfectly round and and are relatively light. I chose them because the allow the Juice Boxer travel smoothly on the required surface. The CDs will move at almost any impulse of air or push. They are so sensible that the balloon does not need to be inflated to the maximum capacity. They are one of the main reasons why the Juice Boxer travels past 5 meters.
The axles of the Juice Boxer let the wheels rotate thoroughly without disturbance. The way the are made is essential for an improved movement in the wheels. It is important that the wheels are not too tight together because the car will not move.

Essential Items:

• Six straws
• Two kebab sticks
• A juice box
• Four CDs
• Duct tape
• A balloon
• A lot of patience

What Happened?
The Juice Boxer managed to travel past the 5 meter distance in about 8 seconds. The Juice Boxer traveled smoothly towards the finish line in a decent time. This success was due to the excellent design that allowed the Juice Boxer to move smoothly in a straight line.

Rocket Car

This is my balloon rocket car. The chassis is made out of a water bottle. I chose the water bottle because it's a cylinder. Therefore making the rocket car more aerodynamic.
The engine of my car is a balloon. It's purpose is to make the rocket car travel five meters in the least time possible. The balloon's air power makes the rocket car travel a decent distance.
What allows the airflow from the balloon to the rear end of my rocket car is the exhaust pipe. This pipe is made out of four straws taped together. The pipe allows the air to escape from the rear towards the surface where traveling on. Therefore making the car move forward.
The wheels of my rocket car are made out of water bottle caps. Their purpose is to make the car travel smoothly on the desired track. I chose the bottle caps because they are round and easy to pierce through.
The two items that allow the constant rotation of the wheels while in motion are called the axles. The axles are made of one straw cut in half and two kebab sticks. This type of axle is easy to make and simple to place on the rocket car. The axles in every car are a very important part because they are a main purpose of it's speed.

Essential Items:

• Four bottle caps
• A straw
• A water bottle
• Two kebab sticks
• Tape
• Scissors
  
• A balloon

What happened?
After I inflated the balloon I placed the car on the floor. With one hand holding the balloon and the other with crossed fingers, I let go of the balloon. The car traveled a distance of 4.76 meters in a time of 7 seconds. Therefore its average speed was 0.7 m/s. It did not pass the 5 meter line therefore failing to complete the run. I think that the axles were not formed properly and the balloon was too big therefore making the car turn on itself and slowing it down.

Bottle Car

Triangle-Triwheel.... TRY AGAIN

As you can see this is a tricycle. With two wheels at the front and one at the rear, the car was supposed to travel smoothly across the floor. None of that happened. I inflated the balloon, set the car on the floor, and when I let go of the balloon the car literally flew one meter in the air.

Materials:

• Two kebab sticks
• Three bottle caps
• Cut up tissue box
• One balloon
  

Method:

• Travel 5m as fast as possible
• Not fly in the air

What went wrong?
Well the first of many things was that probably the car was too light. The wheels weren't alined propperly by the axle. Finally the balloon had way too much air power and made the car fly in the air.

Next Time....
What I will do for my next car is try to balance the balloon's air power by the weight of my car. Clearly... three wheels isn't very successful.

Method:
Basically what I was trying to do (failed) was to create a balloon car made out of a tissue box. It was supposed to be powered by a large balloon (didn't turn out so well) and flow smoothly on the floor. Above, are some of the items that I used.

Materials:

• kebab sticks
• scissors
• bottle caps
• tissue box
• tape
• balloon
• sharp knife

Use of Materials:
The kebab sticks worked as axles for the wheels. I used the scissors to shape out the box. The bottle caps were the wheels. The tissue box was the chassis of my car. I used the tape to adjust some parts of the car. The balloon was the engine of my vehicle. I used the sharp knife to make small incisions in the middle of the caps and wholes on the box.

Why Did You Not Work?

I didn't think it'd be obvious at first, but after I took a close look at my car it seemed that:

• Wholes on the wheels were to tight
• Kebab sticks were bent
• Tissue box wasn't airborne
  

• Balloon's power wasn't strong enough to motor my car

Friendly Tips:
K.I.S.S.: KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID