Guidelines

What types of mouse trap cars can be made?

What types of mouse trap cars can be made?

A mousetrap car can be made from cardboard or balsa wood with CD’s for wheels and axles of wood or brass tubing. Power to drive the wheels is provided by a mousetrap to which a wand and string is attached to the snap arm.

What key features do mousetrap car designs have?

Common Design Elements of a Speed-Trap Racer

  • high torque gearing.
  • shorter length lever arm.
  • smaller diameter drive wheels.
  • wheels with good traction.
  • reduced friction bearings.
  • light weight components.

What is the force of a mousetrap car?

Mousetrap cars start with a limited supply of energy. This energy is used to overcome friction and propel the vehicle. This combined frictional force will be called the rolling friction. The smaller the coefficient of friction, the more efficient your mousetrap car and the greater the travel distance will be.

What is needed to build a mouse trap car?

Materials Needed for a Mousetrap Car. There are several materials needed to build a basic mousetrap car. These items should be available at your local hardware store. You need a wooden mousetrap, two rubber bands, metal rods, eye screws, plywood, a drill, a small handsaw, a scale, a ruler, a vice or someone to hold the project steady, and wood glue.

What do levers have to do with mouse trap cars?

Mousetrap cars are powered by the spring of the mousetrap. When the mousetrap snaps back, the lever causes a release of energy . The lever is attached to a string that is wound around the back axle of the car. Therefore, when the lever snaps with the mousetrap, the string unwinds, which spins the axle and makes the car move .

What are the instructions for mouse trap?

Mouse Trap Instructions Release the arm bar from the staple. Move the arm bar to the back of the trap so it hangs over the back of the trap. Apply a small amount of high-protein bait, such as peanut butter, hazelnut spread or bacon to the yellow plastic pedal on the trap as shown.

How does a mousetrap car move?

The mousetrap powered car works by changing the kinetic energy (of a loaded mousetrap) into kinetic energy (when the trap springs). The jaw snapping shut pulls the string, which makes the axles turn, which spins the tires-propelling the car forward.