1LikesU.S. Vintage Trans-Am Racing
03-23-2009, 05:04 PM
#4576
Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. TEACH a man to fish and he feeds himself for a lifetime. I guarantee you (anybody) would have a better understanding of rollout and FDR if they do the math a few times to familiarize themselves with the concept and how changes in this affect that and by how much. THEN use the cheater programs to do the work.
03-23-2009, 05:45 PM
#4577
Sorry for trying to help. 
There is benefit to understanding what the gear ratios mean; but what I like about the "cheater" program is that it makes a chart that gives me the quick and dirty numbers I need so I don't have to do the math for every gear combination and I can save it to a PDF for future reference.
There is benefit to understanding what the gear ratios mean; but what I like about the "cheater" program is that it makes a chart that gives me the quick and dirty numbers I need so I don't have to do the math for every gear combination and I can save it to a PDF for future reference.
03-23-2009, 07:04 PM
#4580
Yeah...now let's play "spot the math teacher". Happy to help!
I LOVE to trot this stuff out for kids when they're giving the old whine "when do you ever actually use this stuff". Not only do I have examples where people use it for "work"...I've got a hobby that most of 'em think is pretty cool (seventh and eighth graders are too young to be jaded yet) and I can show 'em ALL kinds of math that's appropriate (rollout, FDR, gear ratios, calculations re: voltage and amps and watts and kv I'm doing to prove 380 motors as appropriate for 1/12 racing, etc). I even solved a ramp problem for our club (we need to buy or construct a ramp for wheelchair access to the stage we use once each year) a couple weeks ago with some elementary trigonometry (remember sine cosine tangent arcsine arccosine arctangent?) to find the departure angle from the floor (still not ADA-spec, but we'd need 60' of ramp to climb 6' to satisfy them...no math on EARTH will make THAT fit).
I LOVE to trot this stuff out for kids when they're giving the old whine "when do you ever actually use this stuff". Not only do I have examples where people use it for "work"...I've got a hobby that most of 'em think is pretty cool (seventh and eighth graders are too young to be jaded yet) and I can show 'em ALL kinds of math that's appropriate (rollout, FDR, gear ratios, calculations re: voltage and amps and watts and kv I'm doing to prove 380 motors as appropriate for 1/12 racing, etc). I even solved a ramp problem for our club (we need to buy or construct a ramp for wheelchair access to the stage we use once each year) a couple weeks ago with some elementary trigonometry (remember sine cosine tangent arcsine arccosine arctangent?) to find the departure angle from the floor (still not ADA-spec, but we'd need 60' of ramp to climb 6' to satisfy them...no math on EARTH will make THAT fit).
Remind me to give you a call when I start to develop my after school racing program. I need some examples of practical ways to use RC to teach math and physics, and basic science and art. I honestly believe you could make a class called RC science and teach it in schools. If Im delusional then just let me dream.
03-23-2009, 07:14 PM
#4581
Remind me to give you a call when I start to develop my after school racing program. I need some examples of practical ways to use RC to teach math and physics, and basic science and art. I honestly believe you could make a class called RC science and teach it in schools. If Im delusional then just let me dream.
I created a proposal for a friend of mine in Seattle/Tacoma who imports/distributes/retails slot cars and slot car sets. The idea was that a slot car set is 100% an applied physics term (or even year) in a box. It could be applied to many other disciplines as well. If he (in conjunction with Scalextric, or whomever) was to donate a set to each of the schools they could use it either as classroom curricula elements or for after school use. Unfortunately little interest could be generated among teachers. What a loss.
I've outlined a "Hot Rod Math" curriculum here that identifies and applies the math found in cars. The impetus was when I was doing classroom observation with "at-risk" kids and they were always talking about cars and the American Hotrod show came up. I showed them that Boyd Coddington and his crew not only used a LOT of math to create their amazing cars (and wheels, and...) but that there was a ton of math involved to run a successful business for as long as he had his. Again, getting anyone on-board for this in general classroom use is next to impossible (turns out nothing related to this is on the standardized tests...) and I'm not really getting any real support for offering it as an extra-curricular activity either (might "take away" from the Math Club and their competitions...never mind it's an ENTIRELY different target "market").
So, I'm left bringing RC examples in from time to time.
You're idea would 100% work--if you can get support. Unfortunately, no one (teachers, administrators, parents) really want to do anything "outside the box" no matter how much they claim otherwise.
03-23-2009, 07:20 PM
#4582
Oh...back to Vintage TA...my "tubby" TC4 with the rough-looking Mustang body (dubbed "Killer Tomato" by the racers) won the Vintage TA class at our club race yesterday. YEA!!! I usually dominate the "wore out old piece of $hit class, but winning an "overall" was a treat). I was being chased by a pack of TC5R's this time. Second and third place had faster single lap, 10 lap and 20 lap averages, but mistakes in the other laps cost them dearly. I got roughed up a bit off the start but drove a clean 7:55 to get the win on consistency.
Unfortunately, the pins in my right side dogbones (and now outdrives) are pretty well trashed so I guess I'll be forced to actually bend wrenches on the damn thing before our series finale next Sunday.
Unfortunately, the pins in my right side dogbones (and now outdrives) are pretty well trashed so I guess I'll be forced to actually bend wrenches on the damn thing before our series finale next Sunday.
03-23-2009, 07:26 PM
#4583
God forbid kids make practical use of the skills they learn in school.
I actually had to explain why my students need to know how to write an essay; job applications, reports, college applications. They were stunned.
I actually run an after school game club to introduce some of my students to traditional and non-traditional board and card games. Kids are stunned when i explain that reading and math play a part in Risk and Monopoly.
I actually had to explain why my students need to know how to write an essay; job applications, reports, college applications. They were stunned.
I actually run an after school game club to introduce some of my students to traditional and non-traditional board and card games. Kids are stunned when i explain that reading and math play a part in Risk and Monopoly.
03-23-2009, 07:43 PM
#4585
This idea of using RC racing as a learning tool isn't so far fetched. Student Racing Partners is a program started in California. It had an approved curriculum for using rc as an after school program and was (or still is) centered around building and then racing a car whilst learning a bit of math, physics and geometry.
www.student-racing.com
PJ..if you're interested...let me know and we might consider a pitch to the school district. I know people that might be able to help.
www.student-racing.com
PJ..if you're interested...let me know and we might consider a pitch to the school district. I know people that might be able to help.
03-24-2009, 12:03 AM
#4586
Language Arts teaching woes?
Just tell them that everything they need to learn in college they learned from Buggs Bunny, and then chalenge them to find it! Shakespeare, Wagner, Motzart, Eastern Philosopy, physics, proper hair care, cunsumer awareness, gun safety, international relations, how to protect yourself from alien invasion, it's all there. For example, with the exception of a couple characters, most of the uniqueness of the character's voices come from various speech impediments, not language differences. Pretty much they all speak SWINE with stutters or stammers or spitting silibants or somesuch, except Buggs (who speaks Brooklyn), Foghorn Leghorn and the hound dog (north/south dialects), Pepe LePue (French accent) and a couple others. Instant lesson in the difference between accent, dialect and pathology. I always ment to write a book about that, I figured it'd sell for the novelty value alone if i could get it published, but my publisher moved into Witch Hazel's old apartment and I could never remember the address...2B, or not 2B, that is the question...(ba-dum-badum-ta-dum-dum-da-dum-da-da-ta-daaa, da-ta-duh-daa-da-dahaaa).
What's the VTA connection? For everyone (like me) who once suggested running any SCCA body with the Trans Am bodies, ask yourself, Are the Buggs Bunny's made AFTER the golden age of 1939-1960 as good as the ones as the ones we grew up with? I mean come on, can you really compare 1957's "What's Opera Doc?" to 1996's "Space Jam" with all it's wanna-be airbrushed fake 3d nonsense and 'appeal to the LCD' attempt at humor?
sorry guys, shifed form Matty to Chatty there...I'll try to be better...
What's the VTA connection? For everyone (like me) who once suggested running any SCCA body with the Trans Am bodies, ask yourself, Are the Buggs Bunny's made AFTER the golden age of 1939-1960 as good as the ones as the ones we grew up with? I mean come on, can you really compare 1957's "What's Opera Doc?" to 1996's "Space Jam" with all it's wanna-be airbrushed fake 3d nonsense and 'appeal to the LCD' attempt at humor?
sorry guys, shifed form Matty to Chatty there...I'll try to be better...
03-27-2009, 09:27 PM
#4588
Tech Elite
iTrader: (10)
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: ~ Stuck in ~ Maryland ~ For Now
Posts: 2,438
Trader Rating: 10 (100%+)
Did they change the motor rule for this year or is it still the Novak 21.5 only and which battery can we run ?
And is the gearing still the same ?
thx....
And is the gearing still the same ?
thx....
03-27-2009, 11:55 PM
#4590
Biggest VTA turn-out of the year last night (Friday) at our local track - Indy Slots in Indianapolis. We had 29 VTA entries. Even though we race on a smaller indoor carpet track, the current VTA rules make for great racing. And as usual, the driver who drove the cleanest race won the A-main and not the fastest car.