Science Simulations, Technology Simulations, Engineering Simulations, Mathematics Simulations
Lesson 1: Does how fast a car is moving affect safety?
Have you ever heard the saying, “speed kills”? Roads have signs that give drivers of cars and trucks a warning on how fast they can safely move. Are these warning signs a way to collect money from people who drive too fast, or are the signs there for a more important reason? Start your motors and begin this simulation.
Here are some definitions to help you in your investigation.
Speed - how fast or slow something is moving
Cause - something that brings about an action
Effect - a change as a result of an action
Footwell - the inside of a car down by the driver’s feet
Intrusion - how much the car frame moved into the driver
Acceleration - how quickly or slowly the driver changed speed inside the car
Risk - how likely an injury would happen. 100% means that the injury would occur. 0% means no injury would happen.
Fractures - broken bones
Doing the science
- Start the Car Crash Simulation.
- Select the red car on the right side of the screen.
- Select the “Soft” crush zone stiffness.
- Select the “Short” crush zone length.
- Select the “Crash Center” button at the bottom of the screen.
- Select the “25 MPH” speed, and then select the “Crash It” button.
- Select the “Analysis Center” button at the bottom of the screen.
- Select the “Medical Report” button. Record this information in Table 1.
- Repeat steps 6–8, except choose the “40 MPH” crash speed.
- Repeat steps 6–8, except choose the “55 MPH” crash speed.