Science Smarts: But, race cars don’t fly
By Patty Rooks on September 16, 2023.
I had a family friend lucky enough to attend the Daytona 500 recently. Of course, I do not know a thing about car racing – other than it is quite exhilarating to watch. I must have asked about 100 questions in order to learn more about this incredible sport. For fear of asking too many questions, I did stop, and thought I had better do some research on my own. For instance, why does it look like the race car has a “wing” on the back of it? Let’s get started! *Remember to ask an adult before doing this experiment. Materials – Ruler – Scissors – Pencil – Scrap piece of newspaper – Science helper Procedure 1. Using the ruler, measure and cut a strip of paper about 20 cm x 5 cm. 2. Have your science helper grip the piece of paper between your thumb and index finger on each hand. 3. Place the small strip of paper right up to your mouth. 4. Take in a deep breath and gently bow a steady breath out on TOP of the paper. 5. Observe. What is going on? The “wing” on the back of the race car is called an airfoil and it looks like an airplane wing because they operate under the same principle. On the back of a car, you have an airfoil. An airfoil is designed to provide LIFT. LIFT can be an upward force (as in flight) or a downward pressure (as in race car driving) which enables the race car to “hug” the road better. WOW look at science in action – literally! Mark your calendars as the Praxis AGM will be on Friday, Sept. 22 at 6 p.m. We are always in need of volunteers and board members. For more info, please contact Patty. Patty Rooks, Senior Scientific Consultant PRAXIS, “Connecting Science To The Community”. Contact Praxis at praxis@praxismh.ca, http://www.praxismh.ca, Tweet or follow us @PraxisMedHat, or friend us on Facebook. Address: #12 826 11 Street S. E., Medicine Hat, Alberta, T1A 1T7 Phone: 403-527-5365, email: praxis@praxismh.ca. 20-19
