Meghan White and Chloe Sondler analyzed the motion of hot wheels cars on different track lengths to understand how friction affects whether the car can make it through a loop. They found that on a shorter track, the car was able to make it through the loop due to maintaining enough velocity, but on a longer track, friction reduced the car's velocity so it did not have enough to make it through the loop. They calculated the forces of friction on both tracks to explain these results.

1. By Meghan White
& Chloe Sondler

2. For our project, we analyzed the motion of

hot wheels cars. We chose to do this in order
to obtain a different, more sophisticated
perspective on how this classic childhood toy
works.

3. Question: If this is

true, why doesn’t the
With our physics

car always go through
knowledge we
the loop?
know that, with no
For our project we
external forces, a 
calculated the force of
car on a track
friction on a hot
should have
wheels track
enough velocity to
go through a loop
regardless of the
distance between
the launch and the
loop.

4. We set up a track

.48 meters off the
ground and ran the
car down the track.
The car went
through the loop at
a distance of1.49
meters, but it did
not go through at a
distance of 1.49
meters.

5. Success
When the track was shorter, the car
was able to move through the loop
without a problem.

8. Step 1: What we know

◦ Vi=2.554 (m/s)
◦ Vf=2.684 (m/s)
◦ T=6/30=.20 (s)
Step 2: Calculating a

◦ a=v/t =.65 (m/s/s)
Step 3: Calculating Ff

◦ Ff= μn, μ=(g/a), n=mg
◦ Ff=(g/a)(mg)
◦ Ff=148.03(m)

9. When we increased the
length of the track, the car
Failure
did not have enough
velocity to make it through
the loop.

12. Step 1: What we know

◦ Vi= 2.513 (m/s)
◦ Vf= 2.248 (m/s)
◦ T=6/30= .20(s)
Step 2: Calculating a

◦ a=v/t = -1.325(m/s)
Step 3: Calculating Ff

◦ Ff= μn, μ=(g/a), n=mg
◦ Ff=(g/a)(mg)
◦ Ff=72.60(m)