Does More Powerful Really Mean More Power?

1. Does More Powerful Really Mean More Power? Physical Science John Kelly Hugo Suarez

2. Problem Statement Does an electric motor that is sold as being “more powerful” really provide more power? Power is defined as the ability to do work The project will use the ability to move an electric buggy across the floor as a measurement of work.

3. Project Overview The project will compare the power of 3 different motors by measuring the distance traveled by an electric buggy in a set period of time.

4. Variables • Independent variable: The type of motor (weak, medium and strong) • Dependent variable: The distance traveled (in meters) by the buggy in 5 seconds • Constant variables: time (5 seconds), location - floor surface, same vehicle • Control group: Medium Motor because it was the average between the small and large motors.

5. Hypothesis Small, hobby type electric motors cost more for motors that are considered to be more powerful. In Science Olympiad competitions it was observed that vehicle design has more to do with vehicle speed than the type or size of motor used. Hypothesize: if a larger motor is used then it will not travel as far as the other motors because the motors are sold as more powerful do not actually provide more power in all situations.

6. Materials • 1 electric buggy • 3 different power electric motors (weak, medium, strong) • 6 volt power supply • Timer • Metric measuring tape

9. Procedure • Place vehicle at starting point • Start timer and vehicle at same time • At 5 seconds mark location of vehicle on floor with masking tape • Measure distance traveled from starting point with metric measuring tape (in meters). • Record distance in data table. • Record distance for a total of 5 trials. • Install a different motor in vehicle. • Repeat steps 1-7 to collect data for the three different motors

10. Data/ObservationsAnalyzes

11. Data/ObservationsAnalyzes

12. Conclusion Based on the results of our experiment, our hypothesis was correct. In this experimental set up there was no difference in the power provided by the three motors. Each motor was able to power the buggy essentially the same distance (within 10 cm) in the 5 second time limit.

13. Possible Experimental Errors There were some values for distance that were inconsistent with the other measurements we took for the distance values. For example, motor 1 had a measurement of 3.9 meters and one distance of 6.7 meters. All other measurement were close to each other. The most likely reason for these would be an error in marking the vehicle location when time stopped or starting the timer and the vehicle at the exact same time. By conducting multiple trials and using the average of the trials the results are close to actual and reliable numbers.

14. Applications and Recommendations The results are only valid for motors used to operate a small, light weight vehicle on a smooth and level surface. If experiments were conducted using heavier vehicles, uneven surfaces or climbing up a hill the results could be different and would justify buying a more powerful motor for those situations.