My grandson and granddaughter participated in their first (I believe) Pinewood Derby race for their Scouting America troop. These unmanned cars, powered only by gravity, race down a track. Rules define the size and weight restrictions each car must meet, so most of the fun is building and decorating the cars: my granddaughter painted her car’s wheels pink.
And despite these rules and restrictions, my grandson’s car reported speed exceeded any previous man-made object, eleven times the speed of the Parker Solar Probe (430,000 mph). I did not witness this astounding feat, though it’s unlikely that anyone could observe anything other than the car magically appearing at the finish line. At these speeds, I would expect the car to burn up due to heat generated, but nevertheless a very impressive showing.
What did my grandson receive for such an incredible outcome? A participation ribbon, same as everyone else. No Nobel Prize for scientific discovery. No high-paying professorship to continue the research. Of course, he is only eight years old!
