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Lesson Plans

Rubber Band Car Challenge for Grades 9-12

Summary

Grade Range
9th-12th
Group Size
1-4 students
Active Time
2-3 hours
Total Time
2-3 hours
Area of Science
Physics
Key Concepts
simple machines, kinetic and potential energy, force, friction, engineering design
Credits
Ben Finio, PhD, Science Buddies
Science Buddies is committed to creating content authored by scientists and educators. Learn more about our process and how we use AI.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f22hAgv6XWQ

Overview

In this fun engineering lesson plan, your students will build rubber band-powered cars using readily available craft supplies. The challenge is to build a car that goes as far as possible while making careful use of materials. Elementary school and middle school versions of this lesson plan are also available. This lesson was part of the 2024 Science Buddies Engineering Challenge.

Learning Objectives

NGSS Alignment

This lesson helps students prepare for these Next Generation Science Standards Performance Expectations:
This lesson focuses on these aspects of NGSS Three Dimensional Learning:

Science & Engineering Practices
Planning and Carrying Out Investigations. Plan an investigation or test a design individually and collaboratively to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence as part of building and revising models, supporting explanations for phenomena, or testing solutions to problems. Consider possible confounding variables or effects and evaluate the investigation's design to ensure variables are controlled.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions. When evaluating solutions, it is important to take into account a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, and to consider social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
Crosscutting Concepts
Structure and Function. Investigating or designing new systems or structures requires a detailed examination of the properties of different materials, the structures of different components, and connections of components to reveal its function and/or solve a problem.

Materials

To enter your students' designs in the 2024 Science Buddies Engineering Challenge, you can only use the following materials.

Swipe left to see more
Material Size/type restrictions Maximum quantity Points (each)
CDs or DVDs n/a 4 2
Plastic bottle caps Any size. No metal lids. 4 2
Paper Printer, construction, graph, or notebook paper (letter, A4 size, 9"x12", or 22x30 cm sizes are all allowed) 10 sheets 1
Wooden pencils n/a 10 1
Plastic or plant-based/biodegradable drinking straws Any size. No metal straws. 10 1
Wooden skewers n/a 10 1
Paper clips Maximum length 1-3/4" or 45 mm 10 1
Sheets of cardboard Maximum 12×12 inches or 30×30 cm 2 10
Rubber bands Maximum size #64 (3-1/2×1/4 inches or 90×6 mm when laid flat and unstretched) 10 2
Tape Maximum 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide. Clear office tape, masking tape, or painter's tape.

Duct tape, packing tape, and electrical tape are not allowed.		 1 roll 5

You can use the following tools for building and testing your car (they cannot be used as part of the car):

Background Information for Teachers

This section contains a quick review for teachers of the science and concepts covered in this lesson.

You can use rubber band-powered cars, like the ones in Figure 1, to explore many different science and engineering concepts with your students. In general, these cars consist of wheels and axles mounted on a frame. A rubber band is connected to an axle on one end and the frame on its other end. Twisting the axle stretches and winds up the rubber band. When you release the axle, the rubber band contracts, spinning the axle and propelling the car forward.

Examples of rubber band cars made from different craft and office suppliesImage Credit: Ben Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies
Figure 1. Four different rubber band car designs made from different materials.

The concepts you decide to focus on will depend on your classroom and curricular needs, but here are some suggestions:

  • Explore simple machines, such as the wheel and axle, which are a key part of each car.
  • Talk about forces, like weight and friction, and how they affect the car's motion.
  • Discuss energy storage and transformation. The stretched rubber band stores elastic potential energy, which is converted to kinetic energy as the rubber band contracts and the car moves forward.
  • Use the engineering design process to help students iteratively design, build, and test their cars to improve their performance.
  • Analyze the different material properties of the materials available for building the cars. Discuss how some materials are better for certain purposes than others.

Prep Work (15 minutes)

Engage (15 minutes)

Explore (1-2 hours)

Reflect (30 minutes)

Assess

Make Career Connections

Lesson Plan Variations

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