Math and Designing New Cars

 

Most students end up with a car. They might buy their own or their parents might give them one or they might have to share a family vehicle.  If you mention math to anyone in regard to a car, they’ll mention the cost of the vehicle, the cost of insurance, licensing, repairs, etc but there is more math involved than that.

Few students ever think about the math involved in its design and more.  When a company thinks about creating a new vehicle to join it’s line, the first thing they do is carry out a market analysis to determine if the proposed vehicle fits into a certain niche.  The market analysis allows the planner to  determine what is selling where at what cost.  They use this information in addition to things like miles per gallon, horsepower, weight, and size to create a list of specifications for the proposed vehicle. 

The engineers who design a car rely on computer based modeling programs to both physically design the car and “crash” test it before it is actually built.  Furthermore, they use geometry and trigonometry when designing suspension throughout the car.  They also use computers to calculate the aerodynamics of the design.  They tweak the design based on the results of the calculations to make it more efficient and better looking.

Math is also used in the interior to determine how to place every seat, every gage, every window, everything so it is ergonomically placed for the driver and everyone else.  They have to know where to put supports, dashboard, mirrors, and more for maximum space.  Once they start building the car, the programs controlling the robotic elements use a lot of math to make sure the production is done properly. In addition, math is used to determine the best order in which to make parts and put the vehicle together.  

Although the car was built and tested digitally, manufacturers usually test it on the track and do crash testing in real life to obtain real data from how quiet a ride it is to handling to miles per gallon, to so much more before they begin marketing it. Once the cars are built and ready for distribution, math is used to  determine how the cars are being delivered to dealers across the United States.   Furthermore, the company has used math to set a price for each car they sell to the dealers and the dealer adds a percentage to that for his profit.  The price the company sets is enough to cover all the costs involved in designing, producing, and transporting each vehicle.

Thus math is used from start to finish when a company decides to add another vehicle to its line.  Sometimes, manufacturers must adjust things as regulations change, or new ones come in so again the math is used to adjust things in the engine or the car itself.  Let me know what you think, I’d love to hear.