Table of Contents
How do you make a fast mousetrap car?
Making The Vehicle Faster Thicken the axle: Wrapping some tape radially around the axle or adding a spool. It may be surprising as to how much faster this makes the vehicle. Use smaller wheels. They will require less force to complete a rotation. Make the vehicle lighter.
What materials can mousetrap cars be made of?
A mousetrap car is a model car made from simple materials that is powered by a mousetrap. 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 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.
What wheels are best for a mousetrap car?
Use thin, light wheels. Old CDs or DVDs work fairly well for this purpose — they’re large, thin, and extremely light. If you have access to old vinyl, these also work extremely well, though they may be too heavy for the smallest mousetraps.
Is it better to have a heavier or lighter mousetrap car?
A heavy mousetrap vehicle will required more pulling force than a lighter mousetrap vehicle in order to achieve an equal acceleration. Lighter mousetrap vehicles will require less energy at the start and can use longer lever arms for more pulling distance.
Why is it better to have large wheels for the drive axle on a mousetrap car?
Larger drive wheels will have a greater travel distance per each turn compared to smaller drive wheel. The smaller the diameter of the drive axle in comparison to the diameter of the drive wheel the more force that will be required to accelerate the vehicle but the greater the distance of travel per rotation.
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.
When designing a trap car What are the 2 variables that truly determine performance?
In general, mousetrap competitions have two categories, speed and distance. If you want to optimize for speed, you’ll want to design a car that exerts as much force/rotation as possible on the wheels as fast as possible.
What is gravity vehicle?
Gravity Vehicle is an event that returned for the 2020 and 2021 competition seasons after being held in 2012 and 2013. In this event, competitors design and build a ramp and a vehicle that is powered solely by the vehicle’s gravitational potential energy.
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 best material for a mousetrap car?
As you might guess, the materials used to build mousetrap-powered cars are light out of necessity. Foamcore board or balsa wood are often used for the body. The wheels can be off-the-shelf radio-controlled car wheels, but many builders use blank CDs or DVDs because their thin edges reduce friction.
Why is my mousetrap car not going straight?
If your mousetrap car does not travel straight energy is also being wasted to over come the force of friction turning the vehicle’s wheels. If a mousetrap vehicle is not traveling straight then there is one reason and one reason only: the front and rear axles are not parallel to one another!Jan 21, 2012.
When was the first mousetrap car made?
Shortly after Keeps innovation, in 1894, Illinois native, William C. Hooker first patented the more familiar spring-loaded device, recognized today as the classic mousetrap.
How far do mousetrap cars usually travel?
The average distance the rattap car went was 18.6875ft and the average distance the mousetrap car went was 25.5ft.
Are CD wheels good for mousetrap car?
Mouse Trap Cars: CD/DVD Wheels. Learn more about using DVDs/CDs as wheels on your mousetrap racer. DVDs/CDs make great wheels because they can slice through the air with very little resistance. Because CDs and DVDs are some of the best wheels you will ever find for building a long distance mousetrap powered vehicle.
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.
Does a faster mousetrap car mean a further distance?
A speedy mousetrap car will have smaller wheels (faster acceleration), a shorter lever arm (increased torque, but smaller travel distance), a larger axle (increased acceleration) and will generally be smaller to decrease air resistance.
How do you make a rat trap car go far?
Mousetrap cars will go farther if the spring has more distance from the back wheels. Create traction on the wheels. Add rubber bands, or tape around the wheels to give them better traction. The better the wheels can grip the floor, the farther the mousetrap car will go.
What makes up the powertrain of a mousetrap car?
Acting as a powertrain that transfers energy from the spring motor to tires are the lever, string, as well as the wheel and axle. On a mousetrap, a spring is connected to a lever. As the spring is released it transfers its torque to the lever.
