SCIENCE JOURNAL 2018

Advancement in Technology and Design in Cars In recent decades and years, the technology and design of cars have been improved to make people safer both in and out of the car. Companies like Tesla have developed their cars with sensors and cameras that not only allow for autopilot (self-driving), but also alerts the driver for possible road incidents before they occur, possibly saving many lives. A more revolutionary design in the past was the invention of the Anti-Lock braking system, or ABS. While it was developed in the 1930’s for aircraft, most cars did not have access to it until the 80’s. Rather than locking all wheels in place while braking (making the car skid in one direction), the ABS released and reapplies the brakes on each wheel hundreds of times each second, allowing for steering and braking at the same time (Boyce, 2016). This invention and inclusion in most cars at the end of the 20 th century saved many lives on the road, and is proven to have caused a statistically significant decrease in both fatal pedestrian strikes and multi-vehicle crashes (RACV, 2004). The inclusion of ABS in cars has allowed for braking to be more efficient in avoiding accidents, and so, while going over the limit is deadly, the ABS likens the chances of escaping a possibly fatal incident. Conclusion Based on the evidence and factors discussed when talking about speed on our roads, it is fair to say that sticking with the speed limit (or going slightly under in bad weather) is extremely necessary on all the roads we go on. The data in Figure 1 showed how much KE was in the car at different speeds, and the collision speed of the car shown in Figure 2 (along with the example of a young boy in a theoretical scenario) despite only small jumps in velocity shows that, in fact, every K over is a killer, and someone is much more likely to injure or kill a

person if they are speeding. Appendix of Equations

1) 70km -1 / 3.6 = ms -1

dii = 19.44ms -1

2) Reaction time for 70km -1 in Figure 2 = approx. 29m 29 / 19.44 = no. of seconds for reaction time oLL = 1.49secs tdq = 1.5secs (to 1 decimal place) 3) Velocity = distance (m) / time (secs) 8.2ms -1 = 0.2 / time f ∴ time = 0.2 / 8.2 = 0.024 secs 4) Acceleration (ms -2 ) = Change in velocity (ms -1 ) / Time (secs) ==ii = 8.2 / 0.024 t = 341.67ms -2 5) Force (N) = Mass (kg) x Acceleration (ms -2 ) d = 50 x 341.67 vd = 17,083.5 N

6) 50km -1 / 3.6 = ms -1

ttt = 13.8ms -1 K = ½ m x v 2 Ii = ½ 1000 x 13.8 2 li = 500 x 192.9 li = 96,450.6 J

7) 1 joule = 0.0002777 Watt hours

385,780.9 x 0.0002777 = Wh

= 107.16 Wh

SC J SI

22

Somerset College Journal of Scientific Issues

Year 10