Junior Solar Sprint 2024

Introduction

We are the Bookworms. Our team members are Joseph (8), Layla (9), Caroline (9), and Jada (10). For some of us, this is our second year competing in the energy whiz. We picked The Book Worms as our team name because we like to lose ourselves in books and we thought it is cute. We tried to make our car as light as possible so that it is fast. We named our car The Book Mobile. We also used the open book design so that it is aerodynamic. We hope we win the race.

The Book Mobile

Our solar car is named “The Book Mobile” because we love to read or listen to stories. We like to lose ourselves in books. Our favorite books are adventure and fantasy. We are excited to have our very own adventure at the Energy Whiz competition!

Organization Name:

Sumter Stem 4-H Club – Sumter County, FL. Our team is representing our 4-H Club. Our club focuses on STEM based projects, including robotics, engineering, gardening, and computer science. We meet weekly to work together on projects.

Team Members:

Joseph F. – 3rd – Homeschool

Layla C. 3rd- Homeschool

Caroline C. – 4th- Homeschool

Jada F.- 5th- Homeschool

Car Pictures:

Introducing The Book Mobile

Car Drawings:

Car Specifications:

Length	26.8 cm
Width with wheels	15 cm
Width of solar panel	12.75 cm
Length of solar panel	26.6 cm
Height	17 cm
Weight	267 g
Back Wheel Size	4.2 cm
Front Wheel Size	3.5
Gear Ratio	4:1
Total Cost	$49.25

Materials and Cost Breakdown:

Solar car kit: $48

stickers: $0.25

Battery Pack: $1

K cup: Recycled

Paint: donated

Hot glue: donated

Recycled Foam for the books

Amazon box for book covers

Alligator clips: donated from last year’s project

Paper (Solar Sprint Instructions): Recycled

Project Diary Log

Date	Time	Duration	Tasks Completed	Team Attendance	Location	Mishaps/Redesigns
3/11/24	4:30pm – 5:30 pm	1 hour	– made teams – discussed focus and responsibilities, – brainstormed designs, – came up with The Book Mobile idea. – Made first sketches	Joseph Layla Caroline Jada	ABC church
3/15/24	1:30 pm-4:30pm	3 hours	– Built chassis – Experimented with gear ratios – Assembled and installed axel – Installation and troubleshooting motor	Joseph Layla Jada	Layla’s House	Gears were way to big and the car wouldn’t drive.
3/18/24	10:00 am – 4:00 pm	6 hours	-Worked on solar panel support (sanded and hot glued) -Brainstormed and designed table tennis ball holder (K cup)	Joseph Layla Caroline Jada	ABC church
3/21/24	10:00 am- 4:00 pm	6 hours	-Painted solar car -Installed K cup -Installed solar panel -Worked on website -Time trials with battery and solar panels	Joseph Layla Caroline Jada	ABC church
3/25/24	10:00 am- 4:00 pm	6 hours	-Finished website -Recorded interview videos -Video editing -Photoshoot with our car	Joseph Layla Caroline Jada	ABC church

Solar Panel Timed Trials

Trial	Time	Distance	Speed	Conditions	Comments
1	9.26 seconds	20 meters	2.16 m/s	Sunny	String was not tight
2	DNR	20 meters	–	–	Car not hooked on string
3	DNR	20 meters	–	–	Clip came off motor
4	7.29 seconds	20 meters	2.74 m/s	Sunny	Good run
5	8.27 seconds	20 meters	2.47 m/s	Sunny	Good run
6	7.02 seconds	20 meters	2.85 m/s	Sunny	Best run

Battery Pack Trial

	Time	Distance	Speed	Comments
1	11.13 seconds	20 meters	1.8 m/s	? batteries
2	7.72	20 meters	2.59 m/s	new batteries

Project Reflection

We all liked working on the car with our friends. It was a lot of fun. We got to know each other better and we were able to use our imagination to design a perfect car. At first our ideas seemed wacky, but we made them happen. Our book mobile is a fairy tale come true.

Special Thanks

Thank you to our moms for helping with our project, and to Mr. Tom (Caroline’s dad) for soldering the clips for us. Our moms helped with videoing, transportation, lunch, and website design.