Local high school students use physics to determine importance of winter tires

Students at Archbishop Jordan Catholic High School put winter and seasonal tires to the test using what they've learned in their physics class.

The tests will determine how great of an impact winter tires will have in harsh driving conditions compared to their all-season counterparts by measuring each tire's stopping distance.

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Teacher Nicole Lueke said she saw the experiment done by a counterpart in Ontario and wanted to give her students a chance to apply physics in the real world.

"I'm always looking for real life connections to the stuff we learn in class for physics," she said.

According to Leuke, the Sherwood Park students were assigned a different car type to see if it had an impact on stopping distance.

"It's always interesting to see when they have that 'a-ha' moment. It doesn't matter if I have a smart car and my friend has a semi, the stopping distance … is going to be relatively the same," she said.

"You always hear that winter tires are better, but being able to see the numbers within the context of the stuff that they had learned in class was also a shock for some of them."

According to the students' math, road conditions, speed and, of course, type of tire all play a part in how quickly a vehicle can stop.

"The stopping distance is seven times less using winter tires compared to all-season on icy roads going 100 kilometres an hour. It is quite a difference when you think about it," said Grade 12 student Abbey Starko.

For some students, including Grade 11 student Amelia Chance, this was their first time driving in the winter.

"It was interesting to be able to see the numbers, but then also get to experience it in real life, and just be able to share that with friends and how important winter tires are," said Chance.

"I asked my dad if I had winter tires to make sure, just to see, because I wanted to make sure I had winter tires. It's definitely a safer option … I'll make sure that I have winter tires in the future," said Grade 11 student Sarah Yarmuch.

Lueke said this won't be the last time she'll implement the winter driving experiment, saying she might add all-weather tires to the experiment next semester.