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Energy and Safety

A race car going 180 mph has nine times more kinetic energy than a passenger car going 60 mph. How does kinetic energy translate into safety?

This module looks at the energy flow of a car when it stops. Students are asked to apply the concept of conservation of energy to a concrete situation and to think about how different types of energy come into play at the macroscopic and microscopic levels. Atomic-level mechanisms are utilized to help students think more concretely about abstract concepts such as sound and heat.

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Modules

Student Materials

Updated: 10. 06. 2008

Students analyze the relationship between energy and safety

Teachers' Guide (registration required)

Updated: 10. 06. 2009

Background Materials

Crew Chief Notes: Race Tracks and Pit Stalls (registration required)

Updated: 10. 07. 2008

–An overview of what pit road looks like and how it is used during a race, along with an introduction to the types of tracks.

Crew Chief Notes: The Science of Safety (registration required)

Updated: 10. 07. 2008

A review of different types of energy.

Additional Resources

Questions and Understandings

Essential Questions

Where does the energy go when a moving race car comes to a stop?
When energy is ‘absorbed’ or ‘dissipated’ by a material, is that a violation of the law of conservation of energy?
What determines which type of energy the kinetic energy of a race car is converted into?

Enduring Understandings

A racecar can have significantly greater translational kinetic energy than a passenger car when both are traveling at characteristic speeds because (although their masses are comparable), the race car travels at a much higher speed;
The translational kinetic energy of a racecar must be transformed into other types of energy when the car comes to a stop;

In a controlled stop, translational kinetic energy is converted primarily into heat, sound and light;
An uncontrolled stop (i.e. an accident) often provides additional means of transforming energy, such as converting kinetic energy into the deformation of the car, or converting linear kinetic energy into rotational kinetic energy;
There are limitations as to how much and how quickly energy can be transformed; and