About ChargedUP

A combined Grade 11 Chemistry 30S and Physics 30S final project
By Aayan Sikri

Project Overview

ChargedUP: Behind The Scenes of an RC Car is an interactive educational website that connects battery chemistry with motor physics and kinematics through the real-world application of powering an RC toy car.

Topics Covered

  1. Battery Chemistry: Understand how AA batteries (Alkaline and Nickel-Metal Hydride) use redox reactions to produce electrons and store electrical energy.
  2. Motor Physics: Model how electric current creates magnetic fields using the right-hand rule and how motors convert electrical energy to rotation.
  3. Kinematics & Forces: Apply Newton's Laws and kinematics equations to calculate how motor torque creates motion in an RC car.
  4. Real-World Integration: Connect all concepts to the practical application of building and understanding RC car performance, and the variables that affect it.

Target Audience

Grade 11 students taking Chemistry 30S and Physics 30S (also has more advanced concepts), aligned with curriculum outcomes for these courses.

Rubric Breakdown

Just a quick breakdown of the rubric and how ChargedUP follows this

Rubric Criteria Site Component Evidence / Description
Creativity & Originality Interactive Calculators Custom battery and motor calculators with step-by-step work shown
Visual Simulations Animated RC car (side-view & top-down track), electron flow, field visualizations
Integrated Pipeline Simple approach linking battery output directly to the motor speed and car motion
Website Design Personalized dark theme with custom logo, animations, and professional styling (light mode as well)
Comprehension & Accuracy Educational Content Simple explanations of redox reactions, electromagnetism, kinematics, etc.
Formulas & Constants Verified constant values, formulas, and calculations
Worked Examples Multiple chemistry and physics problems with detailed step-by-step solutions
Technical Notes Expandable sections to provide deeper detail for more complex concepts
Clarity & Communication Glossary 35+ defined terms with clear definitions, linked throughout site
Navigation Clear header navigation, mode toggle, mobile-responsive hamburger menu
Visualization Consistent typography, color coding (cyan/teal), cards for organization
Accessibility ARIA labels, skip links, keyboard navigation, theme options
Application Virtual Labs Limiting reactant visualizer, magnetic field mapper, battery discharge simulation - based on real-world scenarios
RC Car Simulator Side-view animation and top-down race track showing the calculated motion
Real-World Connections Wesbite explains how physics and chemistry are applied to RC cars, motors, and battery-powered devices
Cross-Module Integration Chemistry calculator values directly impact the physics simulations for realistic results; shows how the connection between sciences are seen in real life

Feature Summary

🔋 Chemistry Module

  • AA Alkaline (Zn/MnO₂) and NiMH battery chemistry
  • Stoichiometry calculator with limiting reactant
  • Pack voltage and capacity calculations
  • Internal resistance and voltage sag
  • Runtime estimation
  • Presets: Single AA, 4×AA Pack
  • Worked examples with solutions

⚡ Physics Module

  • Magnetic field calculations
  • Right-hand rule visual
  • Motor speed estimation
  • Permeability effects (air, ferrite, steel)
  • Newton's Laws and kinematics
  • Torque to wheel force calculations
  • Worked examples with solutions

🚗 RC Car Simulations

  • Side-view car with speed and force display
  • Top-down oval track with lap timer
  • Battery drain visualization
  • Adjustable car mass and surface friction
  • Energy usage per lap
  • Chemistry → Physics data integration

🛠️ Technical Features

  • Dark/Light theme options (settings button in bottom right)
  • Large text accessibility mode
  • Cross-module data integration
  • Mobile-responsive design
  • Offline-capable website (if hosting locally)

Curriculum Outcomes

Chemistry Outcomes

    1 - Mole concept and calculations
    2 - Chemical equations and stoichiometry
    3 - Properties of matter
    4 - Chemical reactions
    5 - Oxidation-reduction reactions

Physics Outcomes

    1 - Electric circuits and current
    2 - Electrical energy
    3 - Magnetism and electromagnetism
    4 - Electromagnetic applications
    5 - Kinematics (motion)
    6 - Dynamics (forces)

Technical Implementation

Technology Stack

ChargedUP uses "vanilla" web technologies — meaning it’s lightweight and doesn't require extra plugins. It’s fully accessible to screen readers and adapts to any screen size. It utilizes HTML5 for the foundation and CSS3 for a clean and responsive design, ensuring the site is fully accessible to screen readers and adapts to any screen size. The backend of the platform is powered by modern JavaScript (ES6+), which handles the calculators, settings system, and the dynamic Canvas-based visualizations efficiently within the browser. To maintain a small footprint, the only external library used is jsPDF for the generated PDFs, which are downloadable by clicking on the button (for each specific PDF), throughout the website (Sources and About pages).

Project Information

Website Name: ChargedUP: Behind The Scenes of an RC Car
Course: Grade 11 - Chemistry 30S and Physics 30S combined project
Date: January 23, 2026

This project was created as an educational resource to help students understand the connection between chemistry and physics through the real-world application of powering RC cars.