Speed, velocity and acceleration

Preparation and Planning

This is a two hour lesson featuring many stimulating and exciting exercises to support students' understanding of speed, velocity and acceleration. The context of the Bloodhound SSC Project ensures memorable delivery and provides a motivating basis for further independent work or lesson extensions.

It is recommended that for maximum impact all supporting assets are employed during lesson delivery. These will require an overhead projector, laptop and the ability to play video. Student Worksheets should be printed out for every student prior to the lesson.

About the MOD Topic

The theme of speed, velocity and acceleration is central to most research carried out for MOD by the UK Defence industries. In particular, the design of new vehicles for all three Armed Services must take into account the changing technologies on the battlefield and the capacity to win battles with the best equipment available. The engineering skills applied to produce modern aircraft such as the Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter are closely related to those needed to produce the world's fastest land vehicle.

A unique showcase for science, technology, engineering and mathematics:
The BLOODHOUND SSC Project is a three-year mission lead by Richard Noble OBE to create a land speed record car capable of achieving 1,000mph. MOD is involved in the project in order to support its search for first class engineers for its future needs in the Defence industries, and its research establishments.

The driver of the car is a serving member of UK Armed Forces and is an Officer in the Royal Air Force (RAF). The engines were owned by MOD and derived from MOD Eurofighter / Typhoon test engines. Some of the aerodynamic and structural research work is supported by MOD Defence staff from DSTL (Defence Scientific and Technical Laboratories) Farnborough and MOD staff are engaged within the Bloodhound Education Team to provide lesson materials for teachers. Another Government Department, DCSF, the Department for Children, Schools and Families, has provided some of the financial support for publishing educational materials for the Project. The BLOODHOUND SSC Project is a private venture. The UK Government, through DCSF, is part-funding the three year education programme but not the build and running costs of the car.

BLOODHOUND SSC (supersonic car) will be driven by Wing Commander Andy Green, who set the current world land-speed record of 763mph (1228kmh) at the controls of Thrust SSC on 15th October 1997. If the new vehicle achieves its target of 1,000mph (Mach 1.4 / 1,625 kph) it will mark the greatest incremental increase of speed in the history of the World Land Speed Record. It will also exceed the low altitude speed record for aircraft (c.994mph).

Building a car quicker than a fighter jet is not, however, the primary goal of the project. Rather, it is to inspire future generations to take up careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics by showcasing these subjects in the most exciting way possible.

Unlike all other forms of motorsport, there are virtually no restrictions imposed on the design of a land speed record challenger; each car is a bespoke creation. It therefore means that BLOODHOUND SSC technology and research can be shared with the public, as it is unlikely to provide an advantage to any other team – in stark contrast to, say, Formula 1 racing car development. As the ultimate, unlimited racing car, BLOODHOUND SSC will also be the catalyst for a raft of cutting-edge research developments in fields such as aerodynamics, computational fluid dynamics, materials technology, composite manufacturing and sustainable high-tech engineering.

The numbers generated by initial studies, conducted in secret over the past 18 months, give some idea of the challenges ahead of the Bloodhound team. The 12.8m long, 6,422kg (fuelled), jet and rocket-powered vehicle will be more advanced than most spacecraft and faster than a bullet fired from a handgun. Its 900mm diameter wheels will spin at over 10,000rpm, generating 50,000 radial g at the rim. The car will accelerate from 0 – 1,050mph (1,706 kph) in 40 seconds and at V-max (maximum velocity), the pressure of air bearing down on its carbon fibre and titanium bodywork will exceed twelve tonnes per square metre. At this speed, Andy Green will be covering a distance equivalent to over four football pitches every second, or 50m in the blink of an eye.

In trying to set what research suggests may be the ultimate land speed record, a team of British engineers, designers, mathematicians and technologists hope to tell a new story of science that will fascinate and inspire all those who hear it.

"This project is not just about the bragging rights to the world land speed record. This will result in tangible scientific developments that will benefit all, for example, in areas such as fuel efficiency and safety and which could be used in the cars we drive in the future."

"The development of BLOODHOUND SSC from the drawing board to a 1,000mph reality will be open for all to see at every stage. The project's involvement with young people is vital to inspire them to learn about the exciting things that can be achieved by science and engineering. Ultimately, I hope that this iconic British project will encourage the next generation of scientists and engineers as we will depend on them to find the solutions to everything from climate change to growing population pressures."
"There has never been anything like BLOODHOUND SSC before," said Richard Noble OBE, Project Director. "It is undoubtedly the most stimulating and challenging programme I've ever been involved with. The next three years are going to be tough, testing and damned exciting!"

Further Opportunities for Learning

Visit www.bloodhoundssc.com for extension education activities and resources. Registered schools receive posters and fliers free of charge. The site includes extensive links to other 3rd party engineering education programmes.

Science in Education events supported by Bloodhound SSC are held regularly around the country. Visit the Bloodhound site www.bloodhoundssc.com for details.

View previous attempts at the Land Speed Record on You Tube, including Thrust SSC, Thrust 2 and Bluebird.

Malcolm Campbell is perhaps one of the most famous holders of the Land Speed Record, setting 13 world records in the '30s in his car 'Bluebird'. Students might want to research his performance online, graphically notating the performance of each.

www.CNN.com features a table of all of the World Land Speed Records set since the challenge began in 1898. Invite students to research the respective acceleration of a selection of record holding cars, and to establish whether acceleration potential has been the primary factor in performance improvements since 1898.

The MOD continually researches technologies that permit personnel to perform more effectively. The variables of speed, velocity and acceleration all have differing importance, depending on the role of the vehicle in question. Ask students to select a number of high performance MOD vehicles (water, land or air-based) and to consider the relative importance of their speed, velocity and acceleration (in an operational capacity).

Student worksheet answers

Download the teachers notes PDF to access the answers for this lesson.