The Science of Speed

home » Website Detail Page

Detail Page

written by Diandra Leslie-Pelecki
published by the Santa Fe Productions
supported by the National Science Foundation

This web page consists of a series of NSF-sponsored videos on the scientific principles behind NASCAR racing. Based on the book The Physics of NASCAR by Diandra Leslie-Pelecky, the videos were designed to enhance public understanding of the math and science involved in motor sports. A variety of topics are explored: drag, aerodynamics, friction and heat, conservation of energy, circular motion, power, momentum, load transfer, and more. Viewers will see how NASCAR teams push science to its limits to gain the fraction of a second that separates the winner from the losers. The videos also show how these race cars are designed with "crumple zones" to transfer kinetic energy away from the driver's seat in a violent crash.

Please note that this resource requires Flash.

https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/sos/index.jsp

Subjects	Levels	Resource Types
Classical Mechanics - Applications of Newton's Laws - Linear Momentum - Motion in Two Dimensions = 2D Acceleration = Center of Mass - Newton's Second Law = Force, Acceleration - Work and Energy = Conservation of Energy = Mechanical Power	- High School - Lower Undergraduate - Middle School - Informal Education	- Audio/Visual = Movie/Animation

Intended Users	Formats	Ratings
- Learners - Educators - General Publics	- application/flash	Currently 0.0/5 Want to rate this material? Login here!

Access Rights:: Free access
Restriction:: © 2009 Santa Fe Productions and Diandra Leslie-Pelecki
NSF Number:: 0839180
Keywords:: auto collision, auto racing, automobile physics, car racing, centripetal force, collisions, energy conservation, kinetic energy, race car, racecar, video
Record Creator:: Metadata instance created January 13, 2010 by Caroline Hall
Record Updated:: June 29, 2010 by Bruce Mason
Last Update when Cataloged:: October 30, 2009
Other Collections:: The Physics Front

The Physics Source

Post a new comment on this item

ComPADRE is beta testing Citation Styles!

Record Link

<a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=9762">Leslie-Pelecki, Diandra. The Science of Speed. Albuquerque: Santa Fe Productions, October 30, 2009.</a>

AIP Format

D. Leslie-Pelecki, (Santa Fe Productions, Albuquerque, 2009), WWW Document, (https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/sos/index.jsp).

AJP/PRST-PER

D. Leslie-Pelecki, The Science of Speed (Santa Fe Productions, Albuquerque, 2009), <https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/sos/index.jsp>.

APA Format

Leslie-Pelecki, D. (2009, October 30). The Science of Speed. Retrieved April 18, 2025, from Santa Fe Productions: https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/sos/index.jsp

Chicago Format

Leslie-Pelecki, Diandra. The Science of Speed. Albuquerque: Santa Fe Productions, October 30, 2009. https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/sos/index.jsp (accessed 18 April 2025).

MLA Format

Leslie-Pelecki, Diandra. The Science of Speed. Albuquerque: Santa Fe Productions, 2009. 30 Oct. 2009. National Science Foundation. 18 Apr. 2025 <https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/sos/index.jsp>.

BibTeX Export Format

@misc{ Author = "Diandra Leslie-Pelecki", Title = {The Science of Speed}, Publisher = {Santa Fe Productions}, Volume = {2025}, Number = {18 April 2025}, Month = {October 30, 2009}, Year = {2009} }

Refer Export Format

%A Diandra Leslie-Pelecki %T The Science of Speed %D October 30, 2009 %I Santa Fe Productions %C Albuquerque %U https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/sos/index.jsp %O application/flash

EndNote Export Format

%0 Electronic Source %A Leslie-Pelecki, Diandra %D October 30, 2009 %T The Science of Speed %I Santa Fe Productions %V 2025 %N 18 April 2025 %8 October 30, 2009 %9 application/flash %U https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/sos/index.jsp

Disclaimer: ComPADRE offers citation styles as a guide only. We cannot offer interpretations about citations as this is an automated procedure. Please refer to the style manuals in the Citation Source Information area for clarifications.

Citation Source Information

The AIP Style presented is based on information from the AIP Style Manual.

The APA Style presented is based on information from APA Style.org: Electronic References.

The Chicago Style presented is based on information from Examples of Chicago-Style Documentation.

The MLA Style presented is based on information from the MLA FAQ.

This resource is stored in 14 shared folders.

You must login to access shared folders.