The NASCAR Brickyard 400 is coming to town at the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway. There's something about the psychology of people that's unique after they've attended any of the race events. They go much faster on the interstate roads than normal. Is it because they want to see how fast their car goes, or is it just a mind game where going really fast seems normal after watching cars going really fast.
Some questions for your students:
The track is 2.5 miles long (1 lap=2.5 miles), and the cars go 400 laps.
1) How many miles do the cars travel during the race?
2) Each turn is angled at 9 degrees, 12 minutes. Can you make a model that shows how much of a bank that is? What does the unit minutes mean in terms of an angle measurement?
3) Non-profits are "hired" to clean the track and bleachers after the race. How much garbage do you think they pick up after the race?
4) The fastest NASCAR time on the IMS track was over 186 miles per hour. If the driver had sustained that speed during the race, how long would it take for him/her to complete the race.
The answer to question 3 is 400 tons.
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