Timpview Physics Students Get Ready to Race

October 25th, 2018 /
Madison Bliss /
News, Schools, Secondary Schools, Timpview High

At Timpview High School, the students in Mr. Mcllmoil’s physics class get ready to race…well, almost. Before putting their handmade dragsters up against each other, these high schoolers must test, research and gather as much data as possible to improve their vehicles.

To do so, the students participate in a kinetic friction lab, in which they use motion detectors to track the friction force on their dragsters. To begin their lab, the students separate into groups and set up their station with all necessary equipment. Once ready, each group performs multiple tests to ensure accuracy. Based off the data and results, the students can then make tweaks to the dragster to reduce as much friction as possible.

Toward the end of the semester, after participating in many labs and making improvements to their vehicles, the students will have the opportunity to race the dragsters in order to determine the fastest in the class. This project is not only fun and interactive, but also provides a real life application for the principles learned in Mr. Mcllmoil’s physics class.