Energy systems
Energy Systems
The wind-up spins out: rubber band too thick or wheels too small
A wind-up can also “spin-out” when the rubber band is too thick.
It is harder to wind a thick rubber band than a thin one. It takes more energy (kinetic energy) to turn the stick around once, so more energy (potential energy) is stored in one turn. Each time the thick rubber band untwists one turn, it converts more potential energy to the kinetic energy of the wind-up than does a thin rubber band untwisting one turn. More energy can make the wind-up “spin out.”