the-BA : Travelling across sand

About one-fifth on the Earth’s surface is covered by deserts. And although they’re not the most habitable places around, people still have to travel across them to reach their destination; such journeys may involve mammoth distances across these arid lands.

Have you ever wondered if you can drive across the desert?

You might like to …

• find out how people travel through deserts; find out if transport other than the trusty camel is used
• design a car that could be used in the desert; there are loads of things you’ll have to think about, such as: how to keep sand out of the engine; how big the wheels should be so it doesn’t sink; if it should be 4-wheel drive; how it will stay cool; how it will be powered (perhaps think about using solar power)
• you could design and carry out tests for one or more of these different factors. For example, test different solar panels; test different sized wheels
• find out why travellers in the desert often see mirages, what causes them and whether you can create your own.

Further links:
http://optics.org/articles/news/9/10/13/1

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