Pinewood Derby

(Created prior to 1993)

Question: Would a pinewood derby racer go
faster if it had more weight?
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Actually, as far as I know, there is no reason why a
racer would go faster if it weighed more.  Well, it
might go a little faster, because the force
pulling on it (gravity) would be stronger
relative to the air resistance, but I think
the strongest source of resistance for pine-
wood derby cars is friction in the wheels,
and that should get bigger just as the
weight gets bigger.  What I would recommend
is an experiment - if you can get a slightly
sloped surface to race your car down, and
time it carefully.  You might find that it
went faster with some extra weight.  You
might also figure out other ways to improve
your car.
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Here are some suggestions that
might help you out:
1) Make sure the wheels are round and
smooth
2) If your track starts on an incline,
(most do) put as much weight
as you can near the rear of the car.
You do not want to make it unstable,
but you do want as much potential
energy as possible.  It will only help
at the bottom of the track.
3) Try to make sure that the axles are
straight. 

Eric Peterson
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