

How is that done? Keep reading to find out how.

So, to build a fast pinewood derby car you must maximize momentum and minimize friction. In a similar way, momentum helps a pinewood derby car to continue rolling as fast as possible on the flat section of the track. In an automobile, momentum helps the car keep rolling when you take your foot off the gas. Even the air flow over the car body is a form of friction that slows down the car.Ī final factor that must be considered is momentum. In every place where moving parts are in contact (wheels rubbing on the track, the axles, the car body, and the guide rails) friction is at work. While our ally, gravity, pulls the car down the sloped track, our enemy, friction, is hard at work slowing down the car. But since gravity is a constant there is nothing you can do to get more! Fortunately, there are things you can do to get the most from this constant force. The only force that can be used to make the car move is gravity. On these tracks, cars must complete the flat section while maintaining as much speed as possible. Most tracks are built with a transition from the sloped starting section to a long flat section. When the pins drop, the cars roll down the sloped track towards the finish line, guided by rails. They start the race on a sloped track held back by starting pins. I loved watching his creativity and seeing the pride he took in his work.Pinewood derby cars are gravity-powered vehicles. This year, my son did a lot of it himself with my supervision and it was really fun to get to see him working on it. I was always glad to see them getting their boy bonding in. In previous years, my son and my husband did all the Pinewood Derby car construction themselves and I just showed up for the race. Finishing details can be added any time before Derby Day. The design process is a great time for them to learn STEM lessons about aerodynamics, and physics lessons how and where to place the weights to make it go fastest. Scouts can work on Pinewood Derby Car Designs ahead of time and then cut their blocks down to size and at the workshop. They bring all the tools you may need in case you don’t own them at home, which is pretty awesome. Our Cub Scout Pack has a big Pinewood Derby Workshop and Lock In every year. The Pinewood Derby Car construction is a great chance for the Cub Scouts (and sometimes even the parents) to learn new skills. Each scout in our troop received a Pinewood Derby car kit which comes with a block of pine wood (with axel notches), four plastic wheels, and four nails. The Pinewood Derby Car construction is half the fun. It is a really fun way for the scouts and the parents of the scouts be involved with each other as a family unit and with the community as scouts and parents bond too! Pinewood Derby Car Construction A lot of work goes into making those wooden cars and a there is a huge amount of anticipation for the race day. If you have heard the Pinewood Derby mentioned but you aren’t sure exactly what it is, well, it is scouting fun at its best! The Pinewood Derby is a 64 year old tradition where Cub Scouts (with the help of their families) design a Pinewood Derby Car and participate in a Pinewood Derby race.
