Description: the matchbox car track is a collection of track sections designed for use with matchbox toy cars. These different track sections would come in sections with different shapes: loops, twists, turns, and straight pieces. The main idea is to start the cars on a straight section at some elevation, race the car down the slope, and then through some loops and turns as it slows down. These tracks can also run parallel such that two cars can race on slightly varying tracks.

 

 

Principle: the main principle underlying this toy are the ideas of potential and kinetic energy, and friction. The cars' potential energy at the beginning is determined by its initial height. As the car goes down the track it gains kinetic energy to go through the loops and turns. Finally, frictional losses will take their toll as the cars slow, and eventually stop or are unable to go through a loop further down the track.

Age Group: anyone above the age of 5. While a detailed understanding of the principles is not accessable at that age, the patience and feel for how it works would be.

Origin of Idea: this idea came to me from my childhood. I had a similar toy and remember playing with it for hours on end with my brother as we would adjust the roughly parallel tracks and race our favorite cars.

 

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