1. Explain pros and cons of power braking vs. coasting.
Using power breaking can be a good idea for when in need of better accuracy during the track test. It allows for a near instantaneous stop that is very beneficial for accuracy as it can be used to nearly pin point a stopping position. The problem with this method is that is uses an excess of energy that will raise our final price for the test. The coasting braking technique will satisfy this need for low energy. It essentially uses 11J of energy less than reversing. The problem with the coasting is that it is very inaccurate with where you end up. Tests will need to be done to approximate beforehand the amount of distance it will take to come to a stop.
2. Provide data obtained from lab.
3. Address which method your team will use moving forward with supporting
evidence.
We have discussed and decided that we will be using power breaking when without the caboose, and will be using coasting when with the caboose. This is because with the caboose we will be traveling at a much slower velocity, and coasting will result in a much less amount of energy used as well as a decent accuracy of stopping. We chose to use power breaking without the caboose since it weighs less and will be traveling at a much greater velocity, thus the coasting will result in very hard to approximate distances.