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A mousetrap car can be made from cardboard or balsa wood with CD’s for wheels and axles of wood or brass tubing. Winding the string around the axle pulls back the snap arm and releasing the snap arm pulls the string, turning the wheels.
What force does a mousetrap car use?
Friction is a force that acts against the motion of all moving objects. Energy is required to overcome friction and keep an object moving. Mousetrap cars start with a limited supply of energy. This energy is used to overcome friction and propel the vehicle.
What makes a mousetrap car go further?
Using large rear wheels allow one rotation of the axle to take the car a much further distance. In other words, a given length of the string from the mousetrap moves the car a greater distance. In non-technical terms, this means that the same force from the mousetrap on each snap gets exerted over a longer string pull.
How does a mousetrap car go straight?
File the back of the front axle hole on the side of the frame opposite the direction the vehicle is turning. bonus tip: Once the axle holes are in alignment the mousetrap vehicle will travel straight.
How do you make a mousetrap car move?
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.
How long should the lever arm be on a mousetrap car for distance?
For maximum speed, position the mousetrap 2 1/4 inches from the drive axle and cut the lever arm to a length of 4 1/4 inches. The lever arm can be cut using a dremel tool or by using a fine tooth hobby saw. The lever arm should always be “just” long enough to reach the drive axle or performance will be compromised.
Can a mouse trap break your finger?
A mouse trap might not break your finger, but it’ll hurt. Rat traps, though, which are about 4 times larger and stronger than mouse traps and usually have serrated edges, could break your finger. If they don’t break your finger, you could still have severe bruising or pinched nerves.
How fast can a mousetrap car go?
Also, the average speed for the mousetrap car is 2.0467ft/s and the rattrap car’s average speed is 3.2911ft/s. The rat trap car and mousetrap car were made the exact same way, but to test both traps we just took one of them off and then put the other one back on.
How long should a mousetrap car be?
The ideal size for an ultra big wheel on a long distance mousetrap racer seams to be somewhere between 10 and 15 inches. And the ideal size for a drive wheel on a speed-trap racer seams to be between 2 and 3 inches but no more than 4 inches.
What is the fastest mousetrap car?
The Speed-Trap Racer is the fastest mousetrap powered racer anywhere and was designed after Doc Fizzix’s own record-setting mousetrap racer that traveled 5 meters in 1.2 seconds.
How do mousetrap cars reduce friction?
Try to have a minimum gap of 1/8 inch between the frame and any spacers (or wheels) in order to decrease any rubbing friction. Use thrust washers and graphite powder between spacers (or wheels) and the frame to help reduce the rubbing friction.
Should a mousetrap car be heavy or light?
Above all, your car should be light. The smaller the mass of your car, the better — every gram or milligram you can shave off of your car’s frame is a little further your mousetrap will be able to push your car.
What is an axle hook on a mousetrap car?
An important part of a mousetrap vehicles propulsion system is the axle hook. If the string does not properly release from the drive axle the string will rewind around the drive axle and cause the mousetrap car to come to an instant stop.
How do you fix this mousetrap car suddenly stops or slows quickly?
Axle Points Test spin your mousetrap racers wheels in order to see how friction-free they spin. If the wheels stop spinning fairly quickly then you will need to find ways to reduce the axle friction. Try using graphite powder or even replacing bushings with ball bearings.
What does the lever arm do on a mousetrap car?
Changing the length of a mouse trap’s snapper (or lever arm) is how you control a mousetrap vehicle’s acceleration and/or travel distance. Different lengths of lever arms can be used to increase and/or decrease the pulling force and change the amount of string that can be pulled off the drive axle.
How does torque affect a mousetrap car?
As torque relates to a mousetrap-powered vehicle, a torque is applied to the wheels by pulling the wound string from the drive axle. The mouse trap’s lever arm applies a force to the drive axle that causes the drive axle to pivot or rotate thereby causing the vehicle to move.
Do mice squeak when caught in trap?
Yes, they squeak when trapped. However, don’t consider mice squeaking as the only sign of them getting trapped. In some cases, you may not hear the squeaks mice make when they stuck into a trap. Also, in some traps, the caught mice may die before making any sound.
Do mice feel pain when trapped?
Once trapped by the glue board, mice will struggle for hours until they eventually die of starvation. Sometimes their flailing causes their heads to get caught as well, leading to slow and painful suffocation. Equally as cruel, poison causes significant pain in the slow process to kill rodents.
Are mouse traps a quick death?
Snap traps that are designed well and used properly, are consistently found to ensure a quick death to the mouse or rat and once cleaned, they can be reused.
How do you get more torque on a mousetrap car?
The gearing of a mousetrap car determines the acceleration and the travel distance.Increase the torque by any of the following: shorten the length of the lever arm. using a smaller diameter drive wheels, or. increase the diameter of the drive axle.
What materials do you need for a mousetrap car?
What You Need: Wooden snap-back mousetrap. Duct tape. 4 eye hooks. Wooden dowel that fits inside the eye hooks. Heavy cardboard. Large and small rubber bands. Foam board (usually found at a craft store) String.
