DIY: Rubber Band-Powered Car | Tinkerer Box Blog

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Rubber Band-Powered Car

Stem Activities

Ages: 9-12

Less than 30 minutes

Grownup needed

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In this activity, you'll design a small car powered solely by rubber bands. How would you design it to make it run faster or farther? There are many physics principles hidden in this little device - let's explore them together!

Materials Needed

Hot glue gun
scissors
5 rubber bands
8 lolly sticks
4 bottle caps
pencil
plasticine
drinking straws
wooden sticks
ruler
paint palette
paint
paintbrush

An assortment of craft supplies lies arranged on a light woodgrain work surface. These include a yellow hot glue gun with its power cord, a pair of scissors, a pink rubber band, three wooden craft sticks, a gray pencil, an orange straw or plastic rod, a thin wooden dowel, a clear plastic ruler, a white flower-shaped paint palette, a small paintbrush, three small tubes of glue, four plastic bottle caps, and a small lump of teal or turquoise modeling clay. The items appear to be laid out in preparation for a craft project.

Step-by-step tutorial

Step 1

Cut the wooden sticks into two 10cm lengths and one 2cm length.

Two thin, light-colored wooden dowels of equal length are positioned horizontally on a light woodgrain surface. A shorter segment of a similar dowel is placed below them, centered. This image likely depicts materials prepared for a craft or construction project.

Step 2

Place plasticine under the bottle cap. Use a sharpened pencil to make a hole in the centre of the bottle cap, ensuring the hole is large enough for the wooden stick to pass through.

Two hands are shown on a light woodgrain surface. One hand holds a white plastic bottle cap with green lettering. The other hand holds a gray pencil and is using it to mark or draw on the top of the bottle cap.

Step 3

Repeat the previous step to make holes in all four bottle caps.

Four white plastic bottle caps are arranged in a square on a light woodgrain surface. Each cap has a small hole near the center.

Step 4

Cut four 2cm sections from the drinking straw.

A pair of hands is using scissors to cut an orange plastic drinking straw on a light woodgrain surface. Three small pieces of orange straw already cut off lie near the top of the image.

Step 5

Use the hot glue gun to glue two lolly sticks together horizontally. Be careful not to burn yourself.

Two hands are working with craft materials on a light woodgrain surface. One hand holds a wooden craft stick, while the other hand holds a yellow hot glue gun and applies glue to the stick. Two additional craft sticks lie on the surface above. This image likely depicts the process of assembling a craft project.

Step 6

After the hot glue has solidified on the lolly sticks, glue the four 2cm straw sections onto the lolly sticks as shown in the diagram.

Two hands work on a craft project on a light wooden surface. Three small orange plastic pieces and two wooden craft sticks are visible in the top portion of the frame. One hand holds a wooden craft stick while the other hand uses a yellow hot glue gun to apply glue along its length. The video focuses on the process of applying the glue, presumably in preparation for attaching another piece to the stick.

Step 7

Insert a 10cm wooden stick through one bottle cap.

Two hands hold a small, simple construction made from a white plastic bottle cap and a thin wooden dowel on a light woodgrain surface. One hand holds the bottle cap, while the other holds the dowel, which appears to be inserted into the cap. This image likely shows a stage in a craft project.

Step 8

As shown in the diagram, thread the wooden stick from the previous step through the straws on the two lolly sticks. Then insert another bottle cap onto the other end of the wooden stick.

Two hands assemble a small structure on a light wooden table using popsicle sticks and small orange plastic pieces. Two pairs of popsicle sticks are laid parallel to each other, each pair bound together at the top by an orange piece. One hand positions the sticks while the other hand applies a small white plastic cap to the end of a thin wooden stick, possibly a skewer. This skewer is then inserted between the popsicle stick pairs. The video demonstrates a step in a crafting process, likely building a miniature model or toy.

Step 9

Use hot glue to secure the bottle caps to the wooden stick.

Two hands are assembling a craft project on a light woodgrain surface, using white plastic bottle caps as wheels, wooden craft sticks for the frame, and a yellow hot glue gun to adhere the pieces together. A thin wooden dowel acts as an axle, connecting the two bottle cap wheels. One hand holds the assembled part of the project, which consists of two craft sticks and one wheel, while the other hand uses the glue gun. A second bottle cap and dowel are positioned nearby, ready to be attached.

Step 10

Use hot glue to attach the 2cm wooden stick to the middle of the wooden stick on the right wheel of the powered car.

Two hands are shown manipulating a small toy car constructed from craft materials on a light woodgrain surface. The car's frame is made from wooden craft sticks, the wheels are white plastic bottle caps, and orange tape or bands are wrapped around the axles. Thin wooden dowels serve as axles, connecting the wheels to the frame. The hands appear to be in the process of attaching or adjusting a small piece of the car's undercarriage.

Step 11

Cut two 6cm lengths of lolly stick using scissors, then use hot glue to attach them to the middle section of the powered car as shown in the diagram. Once the hot glue has solidified, paint it in your preferred colours to complete the initial construction of your powered car.

Two hands are working on a toy car made of craft materials on a light woodgrain table. The car's body is constructed from orange-painted wooden craft sticks, and it has four wheels made from white plastic bottle caps. Yellow stripes decorate the top of the car's frame. One hand holds the car while the other hand uses a paintbrush to apply orange paint to a detail on the back of the vehicle. This image captures the final stages of painting the toy car.

Step 12

After the paint has dried, attach a rubber band to each of the four bottle caps.

A small, finished toy car crafted from popsicle sticks and bottle caps sits on a light woodgrain surface. The car's frame is made of orange-painted popsicle sticks, with two yellow stripes across the top. Four white plastic bottle caps, likely acting as wheels, are attached to the frame with small wooden dowels as axles. The car is positioned diagonally on the surface.

Step 13

Finally, secure the rubber bands to the middle lolly stick as shown in the diagram.

Two hands work on a small toy car made of orange and yellow popsicle sticks on a light wooden surface. The car has four wheels, each made from a white plastic bottle cap attached to a small wooden axle. The hands stretch a pink rubber band across the center of the car's frame, likely creating the mechanism for propelling the vehicle. The video focuses on the process of attaching the rubber band motor.

Step 14

Pull the secured rubber band end to the section with the 2cm wooden stick.

Two hands manipulate a small toy car constructed from orange and yellow popsicle sticks on a light wooden table. The car has four wheels made from white plastic bottle caps affixed to thin wooden axles. A pink rubber band is wrapped around the center of the car's frame, between the axles, likely serving as the car's motor mechanism. The hands adjust and tighten the rubber band, preparing the car for propulsion. The video focuses on the final steps of assembling the rubber band motor.

Step 15

Rotate the wheel backwards seven times.

Two hands hold a small, finished toy car made of orange and yellow popsicle sticks on a light wooden surface. The car has four wheels, each constructed from a white plastic bottle cap attached to a small wooden axle. A pink rubber band is looped around the center of the car's frame, acting as the motor mechanism. The hands gently rotate and inspect the car, demonstrating its construction and potential movement. The video provides a close-up view of the completed toy.

Step 16

Your powered car is now ready to go - release it and watch it move!

A small, simple car constructed from orange and yellow popsicle sticks sits on a light wooden surface. The car has four wheels, made from small white cylinders, likely cardboard or plastic. A rubber band is looped around the center of the car's frame, likely serving as the propulsion mechanism. The car is stationary, and the video provides a top-down view of its construction.

The Science Behind It:

When you stretch and secure the rubber band, elastic potential energy is stored within it. When the rubber band is released, this potential energy rapidly converts to kinetic energy, causing the wheels to rotate and begin moving. Whether the car moves forward also depends on the friction between the wheels and the ground. Friction is the resistive force created when the wheels contact the surface - it will slow the car down and affect how far it travels. If friction is too high, the car might not move smoothly; if it's too low, the wheels might spin without gripping.

This is why we put rubber bands around the wheels. Try testing the powered car with and without rubber bands on the wheels on both smooth and rough surfaces - what conclusions can you draw?

Try redesigning your wheels using different materials and test them to find the optimal design for your car!

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