ChargedUP – Behind the Scenes of an RC Car

Project Creation/Publication Date: December 20, 2025

Project Overview

Welcome to "ChargedUP – Behind the Scenes of an RC Car," a comprehensive educational website designed as a Grade 11 (Manitoba) Chemistry 30S and Physics 30S final project. This platform delves into the fascinating interconnections between battery chemistry, electrical principles, and magnetic fields, all explored through the practical and engaging lens of a battery-powered RC toy car.

This project aims to demonstrate how the fundamental principles of stoichiometry and electrochemistry in an AA alkaline battery dictate the available electrical energy, which then transforms into the electric currents that drive a DC motor through the generation of magnetic fields, ultimately enabling motion. It emphasizes the critical chain: Stoichiometry → Charge → Current → Magnetic Field → Motion, highlighting how chemistry inherently constrains the physics that brings our RC car to life.

Built to meet high academic standards, this website provides clear, specific, and curriculum-appropriate explanations, supported by interactive calculators, simulations, and visuals. It's a static, production-ready website, fully responsive across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices, and suitable for deployment on platforms like GitHub Pages.

Core Focus Areas:

Chemistry 30S: The Power Source

• AA Alkaline Battery Chemistry (Zn / MnO₂): An in-depth look at the chemical reactions that produce electrical energy.
• Stoichiometry & Limiting Reactants: Understanding how chemical quantities determine the battery's capacity and lifespan.
• Electron Counting & Faraday’s Constant: Quantifying charge and energy derived from chemical processes.
• Optional Extension: NiMH Batteries: A comparative exploration of an alternative battery chemistry for enhanced performance.

Physics 30S: The Motion Engine

• Current & Magnetic Fields: Exploring how moving charges create magnetic fields around wires, loops, and solenoids.
• Right-Hand Rule: Visualizing the direction of magnetic fields generated by electric currents.
• Conceptual DC Motor Operation: Understanding how interacting magnetic fields enable the rotational motion of an RC car's motor, without delving into complex torque equations.

Interdisciplinary Connection: The Integrated System

• A seamless narrative demonstrating the energy transformation from chemical bonds to kinetic motion, emphasizing the constraints chemistry imposes on physics.

Technical Requirements & Features:

• Static Website: Pure HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• Responsiveness: Optimized for all screen sizes.
• Interactive Elements: Calculators, simulations, and dynamic visuals.
• Custom Code: No external paid APIs or complex frameworks.
• Accessibility: Dark mode (default), light mode, high-contrast mode, large text mode, and reduced motion mode, all user-selectable and persistent.
• Comprehensive Documentation: Including this README.md, TEST_RESULTS.md, CHANGELOG.md, and LICENSE.
• Academic Rigor: All claims and values are cited in APA format with direct source links.

How to Run Locally

To view this project on your local machine, follow these steps:

1. Clone the Repository:

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd ChargedUP-RC-Car

   (Replace <repository-url> with the actual URL of your GitHub repository.)

2. Open index.html: Simply open the index.html file in your preferred web browser. You can usually do this by double-clicking the file in your file explorer.

   Alternatively, for a more robust local development experience (especially for features like localStorage in some browsers), you might want to use a local web server:

   Using Python's Simple HTTP Server: If you have Python installed, navigate to the project's root directory in your terminal and run:

   python -m http.server

   Then, open your web browser and go to http://localhost:8000.

GitHub Pages Publishing Instructions

This project is perfectly suited for hosting on GitHub Pages. Here's how to publish it:

1. Create a GitHub Repository: If you haven't already, create a new public GitHub repository.

2. Push Your Project to GitHub: Initialize a Git repository in your project folder (if not already done) and push your code to your GitHub repository:

   git init
   git add .
   git commit -m "Initial project commit: ChargedUP RC Car"
   git branch -M main
   git remote add origin <your-repository-url>
   git push -u origin main

   (Replace <your-repository-url> with the HTTPS URL of your GitHub repository.)

3. Configure GitHub Pages:

   • Go to your repository on GitHub.
   • Click on the "Settings" tab.
   • In the left sidebar, click on "Pages".
   • Under "Build and deployment," for "Source," select "Deploy from a branch".
   • For "Branch," choose main (or master if that's what you used) and select the / (root) folder.
   • Click "Save".

4. Access Your Website: GitHub Pages will build and deploy your site. This may take a few minutes. Once deployed, a link to your live website will appear on the "Pages" settings page (e.g., https://<your-username>.github.io/<your-repository-name>/).

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File Structure

/ ├── index.html ├── chemistry.html ├── physics.html ├── integrated.html ├── simulations.html ├── glossary.html ├── sources.html ├── about.html ├── styles/ │ └── style.css ├── scripts/ │ ├── main.js │ ├── chemistry.js │ ├── physics.js │ └── integrated.js ├── assets/ │ ├── logo.svg │ └── icons/ │ └── *.svg (placeholder for various icons) ├── README.md ├── TEST_RESULTS.md ├── CHANGELOG.md └── LICENSE