How does the mousetrap car work?
A mousetrap car works on the principle of a lever. One end of the lever is connected to a spring. When a force is used to pull up the other end of the lever up, the spring tightens, storing energy. When the lever is released, the stored energy in the spring is transferred back to the lever, and the end snaps back.
What forces act on a mousetrap car?
A moving mousetrap car is affected by two type of friction: airfriction and bearing friction. Airfriction is a large factor only with cars that are moving fast and is nearly negligible for slow-moving distance cars; therefore, in this lab you will only take bearing friction into consideration.
Why is my mouse trap car not moving?
If a mousetrap vehicle is struggling to move and/or needs more acceleration then the lever arms can be shortened in order to increase the pulling force. Keep in mind that you will also have to reposition the mouse trap closer to the drive axle or the system will not work as intended.
What is the physics behind the mousetrap car?
The basics The mousetrap storespotential energyin the form of the spring. That potential energy is converted into kinetic energy in the form of the arm rotating forward. The arm pulls on the wound-up string, which turns the drive wheel dowel, which is connected to the wheels, which makes the car drive forward.
How do you reverse a mouse trap?
To make a reversing mousetrap car go forward and then come back you will need to know how to “back-wind” the string. Back-winding the string it a technique where you first wind the string around the axle in one direction and then rewind the string in the opposite direction.
How do you attach a mousetrap to a car?
Use two or three 4” zip ties to secure the ¼ inch dowel to the snap arm and reinforce with tape or hot glue. Glue the mousetrap in place towards the front on the topside of the car with hot glue.
How many Mousetrap (s) do you need to build a vehicle?
In this event, teams design, build, and test one Vehicle using one or two mousetrap (s) as its sole means of propulsion to reach a target point as accurately as possible. The information below should not be interpreted as an extension of the rules.
What is a mousetrap car project?
The mousetrap car project is a classic physics challenge: Build a vehicle that can travel as far or as fast as possible by using only the energy that can be stored in a single mousetrap. Seems simple enough, but the reason it’s so popular is because it’s rich in science concepts, applied math, and design possibilities.
What is the difference between teams and Mousetrap Vehicle?
Teams design, build and test one vehicle using one or two mousetrap (s) as its sole means of propulsion to reach a target as quickly and accurately as possible. Mousetrap Vehicle is a two person building event in which teams build a vehicle powered by one or two mousetraps.