Science of NASCAR

Here's an interesting story about the physics of NASCAR racing, as it's described in a new book, and about the science teacher who wrote it to "enliven" the science curriculum at public schools. The article doesn't tell you much itself but there are some leads there for anyone interested:

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-- Ed Huntress

Reply to
Ed Huntress
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On Tue, 12 Feb 2008 11:40:22 -0500, with neither quill nor qualm, "Ed Huntress" quickly quoth:

WTF is "nonintuitive physics"?!? As my BIL used to say "Sounds like something from the woo-woo sector."

Reply to
Larry Jaques

Physics that you won't get just by eyeballing and guessing. For example, that an air damn at the front of a car reduces drag, or the Kamm-effect rear end on GT race cars, which results in less drag than many "streamlined" read ends.

-- Ed Huntress

Reply to
Ed Huntress

The math of NASCAR:

LOIBCC * MAB = 10,000,000,000 DDLB

LOIBCC: Lots Of Identical Brightly Colored Cars

MAB: Massive Advertising Budgets

DDLB: Dupes Drinking Lousy Beer

-Carl

Reply to
Carl Byrns

DDLB, that would fit with the "Bud king of beers" logo as seen on some NASCAR vehicles that most in the rest of the world would dispute IMHO.

Reply to
David Billington

That's the "king of beers" south of the Mason-Dixon line and west of the Delaware River. d8-)

NASCAR racers, while technically throwbacks, are the most refined antique racecars in the world and very interesting projects to teach kids about some fundamental physics. I think it's a neat idea.

-- Ed Huntress (who drinks Sam Adams and New Jersey's own River Horse beer, when he doesn't want to spring for Beck's)

Reply to
Ed Huntress

I did have a look at the article you mentioned earlier regarding physics but was thinking about the article I read earlier this evening in "The Engineer" about the recent and late adoption of rolling road windtunnels in the US for NASCAR and other auto developments, big picture for the article title with a bright red NASCAR vehicle with "Bud king of beers" plastered across the bonnet. I think US Bud lost their name fight with the much older Budwieser in the Czech republic long ago. I remember US bud being piss water in the early 1980s but granted I have heard that as fightback against the big brewers many smaller breweries have sprung up in the US since then. Much the same happened apparently in the UK in the

1970s with the big brewers buying up smaller ones and closing them and limiting the choice, big fight back eventually and much more choice now. Viva warm beer and Lucas fridges
Reply to
David Billington

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