Reflection....2

There were many ideas for the balloon car that we tried that did not work. One of these ideas was the general size of the car. Our original thought was to make the car big, so the balloon wouldn't interfere with the wheels on the car, but this was not a good idea because it turned out that the mass of the car was too much, and that the balloon could not produce enough force to cause acceleration. Another idea that did not work on the balloon car was that the balloon should have a straw to control the air flow out of the balloon. The straw actually reduced the force of the air coming out of the balloon because there was not a large enough opening for the air. Finally, the original box design for the car was not possible because it also created too much mass for the balloon to move. Overall, the balloon car's biggest problem was that there was too much mass, not enough force, and absolutely no acceleration (on the first trial, that is)

However, there were also many ideas that Anna and I concocted together that did work for the balloon car. First, our final, triangular shape not only decreased the mass of the car, but it also made the car much more aerodynamic. Having a smaller frame also decreased the mass, which meant that the balloon needed less force to move the car with a forward acceleration.  Another idea that improved the performance of the balloon car was the three wheel idea. Having one less wheel would also cut down on mass, and it would direct the car in a straighter line. These ideas that we used on the balloon car really improved the final result of the car.

The Balloon Car Project had many important lessons to learn. For me, the most valuable part of the experience was learning how to manage my time. I learned how bad it was to hold things off to the last minute and not begin thinking about something too late. I believe that if I had used my time better, Anna and I would have had a working car at the first test, and an improved car on time for the second test. Because I didn't work too well with my time, this hurt Anna's and my grade, and I will remember in the future the valuable lesson that the Balloon Car Project has taught me.