On May 14, Class V students competed in the annual solar car race—a culminating event of the seven-week science project. For three weeks in science class, students studied rates of motion (speed, velocity and acceleration) and Newton’s three laws of motion. After learning basic concepts of motion, students were charged to design, construct, test and optimize model solar cars in teams of two or three.
Science faculty members Chris Averill and Kelly Evans say that through brainstorming, testing ideas and problem-solving, students gain a better understanding of the design process of engineering.
This year’s winners with the fastest cars are Sponge Mobile created by Caroline Collins-Pisano and Magdalena Blaise, Kahuna by Quinton Abrecht and Rocco Giandomenico and Flower Power by Olly Gill and Bridget Mussafer.
The top 10 teams in the categories of speed, creativity, craftsmanship and technical merit will compete against other top cars from eastern Massachusetts at the Junior Solar Sprint at MIT this weekend.