Objective

By the end of this lesson, you will understand the math and science concepts behind how automobiles work and how to calculate important factors like speed and fuel efficiency.

Materials and Prep

Materials needed: Pen, paper, calculator, internet access.

Prep: Familiarize yourself with basic math operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Activities

• Calculate Speed: Research the top speed of your favorite car and calculate how long it would take to travel a certain distance at that speed.

• Gas Mileage Analysis: Look up the fuel efficiency of different cars and compare them. Calculate how much money you would save in a year by choosing a more fuel-efficient car.

• Engine Displacement: Learn about engine displacement and calculate the displacement of various car engines using the formula.

Talking Points

• "When we talk about speed, we are referring to how fast an object is moving. It is usually measured in miles per hour or kilometers per hour."
• "Fuel efficiency tells us how far a car can travel using a certain amount of fuel. A higher fuel efficiency means the car can travel more miles per gallon of fuel."
• "Engine displacement is the total volume of all the cylinders in an engine. It is measured in liters or cubic inches."