What is the best design for a mousetrap car?
You’ll want to design your car to have a light body, have large rear wheels, and you’ll want to position the mousetrap as close to the front of the car as possible. Having a light bodied mouse trap car allows for less work to have to be done by the mousetrap getting the car going.
How do you make a simple mousetrap car?
Build a Mousetrap Car
- Step 1: Materials. 2 pieces of Cardboard (4” x 10”) many dimensions will work, but this is a good starting place.
- Step 2: Car Body.
- Step 3: Attach the Straws.
- Step 4: The Mousetrap.
- Step 5: Preparing the Wheels.
- Step 6: Adding the Axles and Wheels.
- Step 7: Attaching the Hook to the Rear Axle.
How big should a mouse trap 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 purpose of a mouse trap car?
A mousetrap car uses the stored energy of a mousetrap spring to generate forward motion. In competitions, the goal of the mousetrap car is to achieve as much forward motion as possible, on a flat surface and/or on an inclined surface. In other words, the goal is to maximize the distance traveled on both these surfaces.
How far does a mousetrap car go?
combined formulas: the pulling distance (distance) is equal to the length of string (String Length) pulled from the drive axle times the diameter of the drive wheels (d drive wheel) divided by the diameter of the drive axle (d drive axle).
How do mousetrap cars move?
Power to drive the wheels is provided by a mousetrap to which a wand and string is attached to the snap arm. Winding the string around the axle pulls back the snap arm and releasing the snap arm pulls the string, turning the wheels.
What are the best types of wheels 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 many wheels should a mousetrap car have?
The answer depends on the contest, if we are to build a super fast accelerating speed-trap racer then over coming rotational inertia is one of the main objectives therefor three wheels will always do better than four wheels when it comes to performance.
What is the physics behind the mousetrap car?
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.
Are 3 or 4 wheels better for mousetrap cars?
What makes a mousetrap car go faster?
By changing the size of the drive wheel(s) you can speed-up or slow-down your mousetrap vehicle. Larger drive wheels have a greater travel distance per each turn compared to smaller drive wheel. As the size of the drive wheel increase the torque required to start a wheel turning also increase.
How is the mousetrap car designed so that it goes straight?
The basic concept behind the adjustable steering on our Basic II kit is to build one set of axles on a swivel that can be turned separately from the main frame of the vehicle. Small adjustments can be made to the alignment of the axles by turning the swivel in order to make sure the mousetrap racer travels straight.
How do I make my mousetrap car go the farthest?
To adapt your mousetrap car for distance, use large, light wheels for less friction and greater inertia. For example, old CDs make great wheels to increase distance. If your car is a rear-wheel drive car, set the wheels on a narrow rear axle so the wheels turn more and travel further.
What simple machines are used on mousetrap cars?
The six simple machines are: the inclined plane, the wedge, the screw, the lever, the wheel and axle, and the pulley. Understanding the principles of these simple machines will help you design your mousetrap vehicle.