Project 1, Toy Concept 2

Allison Spare

The Car Loop

The Fundamental Physical Principle that the Toy is Based On and How it Works:

The fundamental physical principle behind this toy is conservation of energy. Children can set up the track however they want it; it is flexible and there are adjustable supports so the track can conform to any shape that they wish. Along the track there will be a device that measures the speed of the car at different checkpoints. To play with this toy the child sets the car on the top of the hill and lets go to see if the car is able to make it through the loop or not. There would be a variety of different cars and tracks in each set so the child can test the differences between the cars and between different shaped tracks. By playing with this toy a child will see and learn the about potential energy converting into kinetic energy by the way the speed at the different checkpoints changes. They will also learn that the car must have enough total energy to make it all the way through the loop.

Why the Toy...

Is Interactive, Fun and Attracts a Child's Attention:

Most children love to play with moving cars, especially cars that move by themselves. This toy is perfect for those kinds of kids. With the variety of cars and separate tracks, groups of children can play with this toy together. They can compare the speeds of their cars at the different checkpoints; they can also see which car traveled the farthest!!! The interactive aspect of this car and track set is the electronic device that records the speed of the car at different points along the track. Children can use this device to learn about the car's energy.

Is Durable and Safe:

This set is mostly made from plastic, except for the wires and the speed sensors. It won't fall apart and the pieces won't break. The cars are even safe for younger children to play with because they aren't small enough to fit in one's mouth. The box that the toy comes in can be used as a storage case to put the pieces away. Each piece has an indented spot for the parts to go so that the child can see if he has all of the parts of the toy when he puts everything away.

Allows for Cooperative play with Groups of Children:

Since there are many cars and many tracks to play with in each set of The Car Loop, many children can play with it at one time. They can compare and contrast the differences in the performance of the cars to see how fast and how long each one travels.

Recommended Age Group for this Toy:

I would recommend 6 years old and up for the age group of this toy set. Many of the pieces are small and the electronic device can be slightly dangerous if the child doesn't know what he's doing. Also, children younger than six will not understand the measurements of speed. And they probably will not be able to set the structure up by themselves.

Construction Costs:

The construction costs for this toy set would be slightly high. The manufacturer would have to create the piece of equipment that records the speed of the car at each point, and figure out the safest possible way to make it for kids. I would also suggest that they make cars that conserve the most amount of energy as possible that way the speed of the car directly before and after the loop are essentially the same.