I have lately been inspired by all the fun activities that can be done with the constant velocity cars. Some of these have come out of our new physics teacher workshops and others from letting students invent their own experiments with the charming “buggies.” Below, I share a few discoveries and workshop favorites. Many of these have become my preferred demonstrations and labs.
References
1.
Chris
Chiaverina
, “The versatile constant velocity car
,” Phys. Teach.
58
, 524
–525
(2020
).2.
John E.
Carlson
, “Faraday’s law and the constant velocity car
,” Phys. Teach.
43
, 618
(2005
).3.
Scott
Hertting
, “Stunt Barbie – A laboratory practicum combining constant velocity and constant acceleration
,” Phys. Teach.
49
, 238
–240
(2011
).4.
Dan Burns believes that this trick dates back at least to 1992 and probably further. It is likely to have been invented by colleagues Laura Henriques, Vicky Best, Linda Maier, and Rudy Timmerman in the late 1980s. Same goes for the centripetal force demo that follows.
© 2022 Author(s). Published under an exclusive license by American Association of Physics Teachers.
2022
Author(s)
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