Thoughts on cars, wheels and energy use...


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Posted by Vector Viper (205.162.15.2) on February 14, 2003 at 01:57:47:

I recently came up with some interesting ideas and thoughts
dealing with cars and hills (force, speed and energy)
Imagine a car, on 1 of 3 runs of track. All 3 tracks go up
100 feet, and are 500 feet long. The cars gas pedal is held
at a constant position, to give a constant 'push' on
all 3 tracks,transmission shifting as it wants (automatic).
All 3 tracks have the same potential energy in a gravity
field (100 feet of it)but the energy and speed at the end
can vary...lots! Think of the car as a weight...

Track 1:a steep hill right away out to 100 feet, then level
(think of a capacitor discharge curve)
The car moves very slowly for a long time(no kinetic energy
is allowed to build up) then accelerates on the level part.
Time: slowest; car struggles off line, takes
longest time on the hill,has decent kinetic energy
at end. (medium speed) Car has spent the most energy to do this.

Track 2: a straight line from bottom to top (a constant hill
slope) car accelerates better, but gravity fights it every
moment with no rest...
Time: better overall, but car's kinetic energy is lower
than first hill (less speed, can't accelerate well)
Car has spent less energy here.

Track 3: flat untill 100 feet from end, then rises fast
up 100 feet (capacitor discharge curve again, upside down/
backwards)
Time: fastest, by far-car accelerates a lot on the level ground.
hill slows car, but not by much, because speed=less time on the
hill. Kinetic energy in the car very high!
So, The car has spent the least energy
TO GO TO THE SAME HEIGHT,
AND HAS THE MOST KINETIC ENERGY LEFT OVER.(!)


It's time, poking up it's head again...
Choosing when and where to place a 'hill'
can have consequences...think.

Viper 'Good things are coming this year!'



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