Indy Cars go well over 320 kilometers per hour. The students got a close-up look at the cars before a recent grand prix race in downtown Baltimore.Then they went to tents by the race course to learn how tires grip the road surface.The students used a sensor to learn about friction by comparing smooth and rough materials.Ten-year-old Jhanaijia Daughtrey thought learning about the tires was interesting, especially because she is considering becoming an engineer.“The Indy Car surface is smoother so that they can easily go around the streets, and the regular tire has grooves in it, so I guess it can basically do anywhere," said Daughtrey.Science teacher Kathryn Spivey says these activities show the students how what they’re learning in school applies in the real world.“It gave them a chance to do science hands-on with equipment we can’t afford to put in the classroom,and they were able to see what we’re talking about when we talk about being safe and friction and motion," said Spivey.These children can learn a lot about science and engineering from Indy Cars, says driver Ed Carpenter.“Everything that we do here with these race cars, whether what keeps us safe in an accident or what’s helping us go fast on the track,it’s an engineering-driven sport, which the heart of it is math and science," said Carpenter.IndyCar sponsors the Future of Fast program with Project Lead the Way.The group provides science, technology, engineering and mathematics course material to U.S. schools.
