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How can a car run without gas?
Energizing Everything Unit | Lesson 1 of 5

How can a car run without gas?

Energizing Everything Unit | Lesson 1 of 5
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Discuss:

What do you think? When a person is making a car go, can the car go on forever? Why or why not?

Discuss: Where does this car get its energy from?

windupcar

Discuss:

If you wanted a wind-up car to go farther, what would you do?

TEACHERS — NEED A NATURAL STOPPING POINT?

The Rubber Band Roller Activity takes about 40 minutes. Constructing the roller takes about 20 minutes and then racing their rollers in teams takes another 20 minutes.

If your time is limited, there is a natural stopping point after the students complete their rollers. At that point, you could have students write their names on their rollers, then collect them and conduct the race during your next science class.

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# Extensions
Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the Exploration and Activity you just completed.
# Video: Food is Fuel

You know that food contains energy — it’s the fuel that keeps your muscles moving. Calories — yes, the same calories that people talk about when they are trying to lose weight — are one way of figuring out how much energy food contains.

This video shows you one way that scientist can figure out how much energy is in a particular food -- by setting the food on fire!

# Language Arts Extension: Energize your students’ writing

Help your students see that energy is everywhere. Use these writing prompts to start them thinking about energy in their lives.

## Demo & Discussion: Balloon Blast Off

Inflate a balloon & pinch the neck closed. Let go & show your students what happens. Then ask them to explain where the energy that made the balloon move came from.

Here's an answer: You use your lungs (powered by energy from food you ate) to push air into the balloon. That energy stretches the rubber of the balloon, storing the energy. When you let go, that stored energy makes the air rush out, and the balloon goes flying.

If thinking about balloons inspires your students, consider building some balloon-powered cars

Image & Video Credits

Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us—we will reply promptly and make things right.

Lesson Image
car open hood by Kathleen Tyler Conklin , used under CC BY
Exploration
crowded highway by Tammra McCauley , used under CC BY
gas can by Alisha Vargas , used under CC BY
pumping gas by everycar_listed_photos , used under CC BY-SA
gasoline in driveway by James Quagliano
how an engine works by allegroracing
red vintage car by Christopher Koppes , used under CC BY
electric car by RevaNorge , used under CC BY-SA
batteries by Anton Fomkin , used under CC BY
electric car charging by xlibber , used under CC BY
cars in motion by Hamed Saber , used under CC BY
gas gauge by Chris Metcalf , used under CC BY
red car by Aske Holst , used under CC BY
pushing car by Jessica Dodel
real life Fred Flintstone by ChromeFunTube
TU buscycle by Sustainable Engineering Research Unit, TU
spaghetti and meatballs by TheCulinaryGeek , used under CC BY
swimming by Karen Blaha , used under CC BY-SA
Michael Phelps medal by Eric Draper
egg sandwich by Seph Swain , used under CC BY
fork by Fg2
french toast by Justin Smith , used under CC BY-SA
pancakes by AimeePlesa , used under CC BY
grits by Ann Larie Valentine , used under CC BY-SA
omelet by Nathan Borror , used under CC BY
child flexing by Vicki C , used under CC BY
back sweat by Phil Scoville , used under CC BY
french fries by Christian Schnettelker , used under CC BY
semi truck by Walmart Corporate , used under CC BY
pouring grease by Walmart Corporate , used under CC BY
soybean powered bus by United States Department of Energy
race car by Philip Roberts , used under CC BY
spoon of sugar by Melissa Wiese , used under CC BY
sugar rocket by Johnny61616
RC care by MrBusyBusy
Duracell batteries by Anton Fomkin , used under CC BY
jet car by Arvind Gupta
red balloon by Jason Baker , used under CC BY
sonic car launcher by SonicDadDotCom
spring by Eusebius , used under CC BY
rubber band by Sander van der Wel , used under CC BY-SA
Activity
pen by JohannPoufPouf
frog (left side) by Brian Gratwicke , used under CC BY
frog (right side) by Brian Gratwicke , used under CC BY
checkered flag (at finish line) by Ewan ar Born , used under CC BY-SA
pencil by JohannPoufPouf
checkered flag by meridican , used under CC BY
Other
3D Orange hatchback illustration by Rawpixel.com
Apple Slingshot by Benjamin Weger
Battery batteries accumulator by Oleksandr_Delyk
Busy Highway freeway Los Angeles by MountAiryFilms
Chocolate by André Karwath
Egg Burger by Seph Swain
Girl Sleeping with Sickness on the bed by Rawpixel.com
Hands play shoot rubber band like sling shot by Abaget
How a modern slingshot ride works by Art of Engineering
How to make very easy airplane by _Ex
Impact Racing Green Case Study by EPSRC Video
Jessica Dodel lifts, pushing car by Jessica Dodel
Man Filling gasoline fuel in car by Maria Sbytova
Michael Phelps by Fernando Frazao and Angelica Brasil
Michael Phelps 200m Butterfly Final by Planet Earth
Motorsports, drag racing by Stockshooter
Playing tag at the park by Uott2know
Sick African American girl with flu by Diego Cervo
Soybeanbus by US Gov
Stone ground grits with cheese by Ann Larie Valentine
Sugar by Melissa Wiese
Sunday Omelets by Nathan Borror
Toy Rocket by Theis Kofoed Hjorth
Trompette by Eusebius Commons
WVO Girls by GreenRvLife
Whole grain French toast by Justin Smith
Woman using mobile phone screen by Emariya
hide and seek chase tag by Sisters fun tube 2
snap back to reality by Sander Van der Wel

Featured Reviews

“Students used STEM throughout the entire lesson- scientific practices, technology (Mystery Science), engineering by building a racer, mathematics by measuring distances. ”
“Wonderful hands on activity that effectively communicated and demonstrated each step to students and teacher visually and orally. Great engagement demonstratedy by my grade 4 class.”
“The scientific interaction and brainstorming by the students was absolutely the best part of this activity. They not only had to figure out the number of spins, but also how to keep the car moving in a straight line. Very thought provoking.”
“The kids loved making the cars! The supplies were easy to gather and the kids had so much fun while learning about energy”
“My favorite part is the step-by-step video for building instructions for the cars. I especially like that they are on a loop so if they missed it the first time it will keep demonstrating it until they can get it or I can get to them.”
“The students were completely engaged with the video, but they erupted with excitement when they realized we were actually going to make the rubber band racers. They were even more excited when they found out we were going to race to the sweet spot. They were able to explain how more stored energy resulted in greater energy released and they couldn't wait to go home and experiment some more. It was great watching them adjust their racers to make it to the sweet spot. ”
“The kids enjoyed making the rollers and the race was easy to set up. The kids did well on the end of mystery assessment. They understand energy much better now.”
“So fantastic and so engaging! Really great job on this lesson. It makes me excited to teach science because it's so well planned!”
“Kids were really engaged in lesson and loved engineering the rubber band racers! I loved how my students were problem-solving to make the cars roll better!”
“Thank you. Very applicable to the standards and providing a sense of wonder!”
“Our energy motor also worked very well. ”
“The videos are so well narrated with great examples the kids can relate to. ”
“The students loved making the rubber band rollers. The steps in your video were so easy to follow. I also loved the fact that after you explain a step the video continues to play the step over and over without the audio.”
“My scholars loved building the car and attempting to hit the sweet spot! It was the most amazing experiment so far. "Science is so much fun!"stated a student in my class.”
“They loved making the cars and then collecting the data. I was able to cover several NGSS standards in this one lab. Very hands on. Excellent”
“The kids were so excited to race their cars! They learned lots of things in the process!”
“Worked with a partner, had ample opportunities for redesigning their rollers. Challenging and do-able! Excellent discussion throughout of kinetic & potential energy.”
“They loved testing the racers. We had some technical difficulties because I used plastic cups instead of paper cups. Some kids went and tried again at home. That is the essence of a successful lesson.”
“The lesson went smoothly due to the great videos and the walk though on how to build the cars. The students absolutely loved racing the cars! We added in friction to our discussion, wondering what would be the best surface for our racetrack. ”
“Loved it. The making of the car was very clear and concise!”
“I love all of the lessons. And so do the kids. They're interesting, insightful, and easy to follow along with.”
“racing the cars! Easy to follow lesson plans and video is student friendly”
“The step by step instructions for the activity were great. My students were fully engaged in the video. Excellent lesson. ”
“The best part was watching the students collaborate, sharing their insights, ideas, and predictions.”
“The best part was the problem solving required when the racers didn't go or went round in a circle rather than a straight line. It made them think!”
“I just used rubber bands that were too small. I thought I bought the correct ones, but they weren't. Next year it should run much more smoothly. ”
“The hands on activities are always fun for the kids. the videos are well done, informative, and very interesting. The Quizzes afterwards could be more rigorous and written more specifically. Some questions were confusing for the students because the kids were't quite sure about what certain questions were asking. All in all I am a huge fan of mystery science!”
“Once again, high interest for the kids! The directions are so easy to follow, and I love how they loop so nobody gets left behind!”
“I loved how the video repeated itself while the kids were creating the racers. If they were confused, they looked up and were able to see the step again! They loved it! ”
“I love how the students get into the projects and they really understand the why behind things. We did the end of mystery assessment and I was a little nervous because I wasn't sure how they did, but they rocked it! They really understood the concept of energy. Love Mystery Science!”
“Students engaging with content with a very hands-on activity! My students loved failing and then making adjustments to their next trial. It was very exciting for them when they finally succeeded! Most importantly, this lesson truly helped my students to understand energy, especially in relation to kinetic and potential. Thank you for providing such a great rubber-band roller and experiment.”
“The students were so engaged with the videos and the building of the car. I was amazed and thrilled. I also loved the links to the supplies through Amazon. I couldn't ask for a better experience.”
“It really got the students talking about how we can make cars go without gas. We had more discussions on how to alternatively power cars than if a human can make a car go forever.”
“It is hard to ever provide any feedback because of how well planned these are. One thing I think we all should consider is how to cut plastic out of programs as often as possible. ”
“The kids were very much engaged. The video that replays when students put everything together was genius! The kids did have trouble with cup cars running without problems- working on solutions still.”
“The best part was the hands on activity and the students getting to take home their car!”
“I have a challenging grade 4 classes, and so far the first mystery has really engaged their thinking. I added a couple of "sketch and stretch" pauses for them to respond, and also gave them some exploration time with wind up cars in anticipation of the activity, which we'll do next class period. ”
“The kids had a great time with this one. It really helped them see the connection of stored energy and how it is used. They were also able to test their experimental skills when figuring out what worked and didn't work in their trials.”
“Our class really enjoyed this activity. We raced against the other classes and it was pretty funny. At times, the "car sped in circles." Overall it was fun. The hardest part was getting rubbebands that were 1/8" thick. Most were too long to use. Good luck!”
“The rubber band racers were pretty fun. We even experimented with different materials (like paper plates in place of the cup lids).”
“Kids loved the "race" I loved the step by step demonstration that did not move on to next step until I was ready to move on!”
“Students collaborating to create a car that required scientific thinking to test how much energy would be needed ”
“I taught this a second time with another class and the rollers worked. We realized that the first day the students had twisted the rubberbands too much so they did not work for day 2 of racing. I absolutely love Mystery Science and the students are so engaged in the inquiry!”
“Rubberband racers were a HIT!!! It was a great lesson for the kids when the cups I got were too big and they weren't working. I told them that is part of experimenting! We changed the cup size and all were happy!”
“Very engaging!! My students loved the rubber band racers and learned so much about energy because they were interested and engaged...so much class discussion!!”
“The kids loved how cars can run on chocolate. It gave them ideas about how maybe they could run on chocolate alone too! lol”
“This was my class favorite so far!! The cars were simple to make and run beautifully! The kids loved testing their cars. We even added a distance race! We are using this activity to springboard into a social studies unit on business. The kids are researching other ways to energize toy cars and will be making one to virtually "sell" to investors and consumers. They are so excited and thanks to this lesson, they are very confident in their abilities to produce working prototypes!”
“It was so engaging and my students loved everything about it! The video kept their attention and made them laugh, and they got so excited to make the car. The race to the sweet spot was so much fun! They were cheering each other on! Thanks for a great lesson!”
“How to choose? Was it how engaged my students were throughout the lesson? Was it how successful my students felt after following the very clear video to make the car? Was it how much they enjoyed creating the car and testing it out? Or, was it the great discuss we had after they completed the reflection questions? Hard to choose when it was all so great.”
“Video was engaging with a Common Core focus of problem solving--great pacing & LOVED the looping 'how to' mini videos that went step-by-step. My 33 4th grade students were really engaged & using their problem solving skills. What an amazing resource! tusen takk--Norwegian for "a thousand thanks!"”
“The kids loved racing to the sweet spot. It was amazing trying to see who'd get the perfect # of winds.”
“The children loved the hands on inquiry based learning. I really appreciated the rate at which the exploration ran. I can't wait to try the next unit, and neither can my students:)”
“The directions for the cars were great and made it easy for the students! ”
“The step-by-step building video allowed me to manage 32 students to successfully construct their racer with a partner. Their excitement during race time was great, plus their conversations about problem-solving issues with their racers was really amazing.”
“The kids are so engaged!!! They love it!”

Grade 4

Energy & Energy Transfer

Speed & Energy

4-PS3-1, 4-PS3-4

Activity Prep

Print Prep
To view a revised version of this lesson, please click here.
In this Mystery, students explore how energy can make things go. In the activity, students experiment with rubber-band cars to figure out how much energy the cars need to end up in the “Sweet Spot.”
Preview activity

Exploration

20 mins

Grade 4

Energy & Energy Transfer

Speed & Energy

4-PS3-1, 4-PS3-4

Extend this lesson

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Energy Lesson 1: How can a car run without gas?

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