Education Technology

The Science of Racing: Tire Pressure

Subject Area
Math: Algebra II: Logarithms and Exponentials
Math: Algebra II: Logarithmic Functions
Math: Algebra II: Powers Roots and Radical Functions
Science: Chemistry: Gases, Liquids and Solids
Level
6-8
9-12
Activity Time
90 Minutes
TI Calculator
TI-Nspire™ CX series
TI-Nspire™ CX CAS/CX II CAS
TI-Nspire Version
2.1
Resource Types
Lessons
Format
TNS

The Science of Racing: Tire Pressure

Activity Overview

This lesson will focus on understanding the pressure in tires. Tire pressure is one of the major decision points for teams because the wearing down of tires has a huge impact on a car’s handling and speed. The pressure in tires will vary as you drive in a race because the temperature of the tire will change.

The question that needs to be asked at the beginning of a race is what pressure should the tires be initially inflated to give the best performance throughout the race.

Before the Activity

Use the assessment questions before and after the activity.

During the Activity

All instructions for the activity are included in the attached documents.

After the Activity

Use some of the pre-assessment questions as post-assessment for this activity.

Subject Area
Math: Algebra II: Logarithms and Exponentials
Math: Algebra II: Logarithmic Functions
Math: Algebra II: Powers Roots and Radical Functions
Science: Chemistry: Gases, Liquids and Solids
Level
6-8
9-12
Activity Time
90 Minutes
TI Calculator
TI-Nspire™ CX series
TI-Nspire™ CX CAS/CX II CAS
TI-Nspire Version
2.1
Resource Types
Lessons
Format
TNS
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