Back to School STEM Activity: Rubber Band Car Challenge (BTS19) | Middle School Physics Lab (Grades 6-8)

?️ BACK TO SCHOOL STEM ACTIVITY: RUBBER BAND CAR CHALLENGE (BTS19)

2-Page Printable STEM Packet | Print-Ready PDF Format

Master mechanical powertrains, elastic potential energy, and rotational torque! The Rubber Band Car Challenge (BTS19) challenges middle school student teams to act as automotive powertrain engineers, designing a rolling vehicle driven by a wound rubber band mechanism attached to a wheel axle.

Students explore elastic potential energy to rotational kinetic energy conversion, axle torque, wheel friction and traction, and distance-per-wind math ratios!

? WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS 2-PAGE PACKET?

• ? Page 1: Student Mission Card & Blueprint: Real-world mechanical powertrain and alternative energy storage scenario. Clear material constraints box (2 rubber bands, 2 skewers, 4 wheels, 2 straws, cardboard chassis, paperclip, tape, distance goal). Dedicated Powertrain Drive & Axle Schematic sketching zone for planning chassis hooks, rubber band wind loops, axle housings, and traction surfaces.

• ? Page 2: Testing Log & Scientific Reflection: Structured Data Testing Table (track axle rotations/winds, distance traveled in cm, and failure points across 3 trial runs). Applied Math Connection (calculate distance-per-wind efficiency ratios: Distance Traveled / Number of Winds in cm/wind). Physics reflection questions analyzing elastic-to-kinetic energy transformations, wheel traction, and friction.

? CORE STEM SKILLS COVERED:

• Elastic Potential Energy, Rotational Torque & Kinetic Energy

• Automotive Powertrain Engineering, Friction & Traction Management

• Data Logging, Distance Measurements (cm), and Wind Ratio Math

• Iterative Mechanical Tuning and Vehicle Performance Optimization

? WHY TEACHERS LOVE THIS RESOURCE:

• Classic Mechanical Engineering Lab: Gives students direct, hands-on experience with mechanical gearing and energy transfer!

• Low-Cost Recycled Materials: Uses plastic bottle caps or CDs, skewers, straws, rubber bands, and cardboard.

• Clean 2-Page Layout: Keeps student schematics, efficiency math, and physics reflections organized on a single front-and-back printable sheet.

• Format: High-resolution, print-ready PDF format (2 Pages).

Target Grades: 6th, 7th, 8th / Middle School

Subject Area: Physical Science, Physics, Forces & Motion, Mechanical Powertrains, Back to School Activities

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