BBC Micro:bit Model Rocket Car Competition: “Race For The Line”
The world’s largest STEM Initiative engaging over 100,000 students each year
Working closely with Microsoft Education and the British Army, the Race for the Line Rocket Car Competition will be rolled out to 4,000 schools across the UK, reaching an estimated 112,000 students.
Inspired by the rules governing the World Land Speed Record attempt that the 1,000mph BLOODHOUND Supersonic Car is targeting, the model rocket cars must blast along a wire and through a set of timing gates with a BBC Micro:bit accelerometer on board gathering vital data that enables the Teams to modify and improve their designs.
Teams compete at open race days at one of 120 regional Race HUBs. The top two primary and secondary school teams from each hub will qualify for the regional finals in March 2017. The winning primary and secondary school teams at each of the 15 regional finals are invited to the national finals held in June at the Santa Pod Raceway, Northamptonshire.
More information about the competition and prizes involved is available here.
The winning team will be invited to join the BLOODHOUND Team in South Africa for a once in a lifetime trip to see the Supersonic Car making history on the Hakskeen Pan. BLOODHOUND Education Director, Aulden Dunipace said “BLOODHOUND is the most extreme engineering project out there and we get to link it directly with classroom learning. The BBC Micro:bit Model Rocket Car Competition brings real world science, technology, engineering and mathematics into the classroom”.
The Project’s primary aim of inspiring the next generations of scientists and engineers is already bearing fruit. Founder sponsor of the Project, the University of the West of England has had to close applications to its engineering faculty to new applicants as it is fully subscribed and cannot take any more, a situation they attribute to the BLOODHOUND Effect.
Participating teams will learn about Newton’s 3rd law of motion, physics, engineering,
chassis design, how rockets work, teamwork, time keeping and most crucially,
mathematics to calculate the speed attained.
Schools and youth groups can visit BLOODHOUND’s social learning site to find out how
to enter by clicking on www.racefortheline.com and must register by 31st October to
receive their free rocket car kits.
Schools can also arrange for the BLOODHOUND Education Team to visit and deliver an
introduction to Model Rocket Cars, providing training to safely run rocket cars in school.
For more information email kirsty.allpress@bloodhoundssc.com .