Table of Contents
What 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.
How do you make a mousetrap car move?
The most basic design for propelling a mousetrap racers is to tie one end of a string to a mouse trap’s snapper arm and then attach the other end of the string to a drive axle. By turning the drive axle the string is wound around the drive axle causing the mouse trap’s spring to compress and store energy.
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.
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 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.
What do you use for axles on a mousetrap car?
A mousetrap car can be made from cardboard or balsa wood with CD’s for wheels and axles of wood or brass tubing.
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.
Is it better to have a lighter or heavier 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.
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.
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.
Do snap mouse traps work?
Traditionally, snap traps have been popular for killing mice and rats swiftly. If you’re trying to bring down the population of house mice and deer mice in your area, snap traps can work especially well. When used correctly, the quick trigger system of a snap tap can help manage large infestations.
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.
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.
What simple machines are in a mousetrap car?
Six Simple Machines Inclined plane • Wedge • Screw • Lever • Wheel and axle • Pulley Your mousetrap vehicle will have a number of moving parts making it a type of machine.
What type of spring is a mousetrap spring?
A mouse trap spring is a torsion spring and winds up. For this type of spring a different formula is needed (Formula #5). It is a torque that must be applied to the spring to wind it and the displacement is measured in radians (Formula #5). The units associated with the spring constant become Newtons * Meters/ Radians.
How do you find the force of a mouse trap?
The work done on the mousetrap arm is found using the formula W = F d, where F is the force (in Newtons) applied to the mousetrap car spring arm and d is the distance (in m) through which the force is applied. You found the force applied using a spring scale and should have it in the table above.
How do you make a mousetrap car go faster and further?
Making The Vehicle Go The Distance Make the vehicle’s drive axle thinner. This will allow more winds of the string around the axle, making the vehicle go farther. Make the drive wheels larger. Wheels with a larger circumference will travel a greater distance with each revolution.
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 happens if the mousetrap is mounted too far from the drive axle?
What happens if the mousetrap is mounted too far from the drive axle? You will lose pulling force or energy to friction. The energy goes too quickly and you lose pulling force.
