Introduction

From TyWiki

Nighthawk was created to provided a hands on learning experience in reaction kinetics. The car is powered by the degradation of hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen gas using potassium iodide catalyst. The resulting pressure from the reaction is used to push a piston which converts the force of the pressure into kinetic energy. Through creating a calibration curve we hope to accurately predict the distance the car may travel by calculating the amounts of reactant required to provide the required kinetic energy.

The dissociation of hydrogen peroxide can produce a substantial amount of O2 gas. The rate of the reaction can be increased to a level conductive to work by adding KI (potassium iodide)causing an increase in pressure . This can easily be captured by our reaction chamber and a valve can then be opened to allow the pressure to drive the piston system.

The object of our car is to accurately go variable distances through control of the amounts of reactants used. A calibration curve was created to facilitate this process, and enable the use of an accurate amount of reactants.