Year 7 tackle Bratislava’s Traffic with Physics
On Tuesday, May 13th, our Year 7 students presented their STEM 2 projects with one common goal: to help facilitate traffic in the city of Bratislava. Each of the four groups approached this real-world challenge applying key concepts such as Newton’s Law of Inertia, the speed-distance-time relationship, friction, distance vs. displacement, and more.
This project pushed students to think critically and scientifically as they followed the experimental process of data collection, observation, analysis, and using evidence to support their ideas.
Group 1 – The Physics of Friction
Arnika, Jim and Brano’s group led by Sofia, explored the role of friction in motion and traffic safety, with a focus on scooters and bicycles. Through hands-on testing of various surface types, they demonstrated that rougher surfaces—like sandpaper—significantly enhance safety by reducing stopping distances, especially under wet conditions. Their findings highlighted the importance of surface design in preventing accidents and improving overall traffic efficiency.
Group 2 – The Power of a Bus Lane
Amir, Veronica and Matvii’s group led by Holly, explored how traffic congestion impacts bus travel time and highlighted the benefit of dedicated bus lanes. Their results showed significant improvement in efficiency, proving that dedicated lanes could make public transport faster and more reliable.
Group 3 – Distance vs. Displacement in Cycling Paths
Greta, Mark and Eunjae’s group led by Tarik, examined how cycling routes with a high distance-to-displacement ratio cause unnecessary delays. They proposed more direct bike paths and showed, through data, that these could significantly reduce travel time.
Group 4 – Inertia and the Green Wave
Isabella, Robert and Karolina’s group led by Jan, studied Newton’s First Law of Motion and explained how frequent stops and starts at traffic lights increase fuel use and slow down traffic. Their Green Wave traffic light system proposal could streamline city driving, saving time and reducing fuel consumption.
I also want to give a special thank you to Artem, who worked independently on his own STEM project. Although he didn’t present this time, his curiosity, and support for his classmates throughout the process were greatly appreciated!
A heartfelt thank-you goes out to all the parents who joined us for the presentations—your presence, support, and encouragement play such an important role in our students’ growth.
