LEGO Dacta Motorized Simple Machine Set
Friction & Car Building


What is the difference between the way the back wheels and the front wheels are connected?  Why should the wheels go on so that the yellow hub is closest to the beam?

Project 1:  Make the ramp by putting two 2 by 4 blocks together at one side of the green plate and turning the plate upside down.
1) Place the car so that it is exactly even with the edge and let go.  How far  does the car go?
2) Squeeze the wheels on the axle close to the sides of the car.  How far does the car travel now?
3) Move the wheels apart about a millimeter from the sides of the car.  How far can the car travel  now?
4) Replace the 2 by 4 plates with 1 by 4 plates.  Notice the car can be more of a non-rectangular parallelogram now.  With the car a bit non-rectangular how far does the car travel?
5) Write about the reason plates that are 2 studs wide are used with wheels and axles.
6) Make a car that goes farther than these cars go.  Draw a picture of a car you made.  Write about how you reduced friction on your car.


Linda Hamilton
LEGO Links of Linda Hamilton
ATI Transportation K12 LEGO Projects


Teacher notes:
Materials: 1) LEGO Dacta Motorized Simple Machines Set
2) Paper and Pencil
3) Customary and metric measuring device
3) Colored pencils, markers, or crayons are optional
Procedure: 1) Two students work together per LEGO set
2) One student should be in charge of making sure the building is done carefully and all LEGO pieces are placed back at the end
3) One student should be in charge of making sure the report is done well and turned in for documentation, graphing, and/or evaluation by the teacher or students.
Math concepts: Measuring in inches and centimeters. Geometry shapes and angles.
West Virginia IGOs Covered
5.35  Estimate and/or measure the length of real objects in parts of an inch up to 1/8 inch, whole inches, feet, yeards, miles, milli,meters, centimeters, meters, and kilometers
5.44 Compute and convert customary and metric units of measure within the same system in problem solving situations
5.31 Classify and compare the following polygons:  square, rectangle, parallelogram, pentagon, hexagon, and octagon



Davis Creek Elementary LEGO Site Map 2001
Davis Creek Elementary LEGO Site Map 1998-2000
Davis Creek Elementary


April 7, 2001
L. Hamilton
S. Simon

Updated 12 June 2001