How to Build a Mousetrap Car for Distance
Many physics classes use hands-on labs to challenge students to explain the concepts covered during a course. These labs are a way for the teacher to step back and observe the students so the teacher can better understand what areas he needs to focus on. One of these labs involves building a mousetrap race car, in which students are challenged to design cars to obtain maximum speed and maximum distance.
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Things You'll Need
- Mousetrap
- Eye hooks
- Wheel axles
- Scraps of wood
- Glue
- Clay or wheel axle kit
- Empty spool or other large circular item
- CDs
- String
Instructions
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1
Glue two long but thin scraps of wood along the sides of the mousetrap so they add length to the back of the mousetrap. Screw an eye hook into the back ends of each of these braces.
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2
Screw two eye hooks into the front edge of the mousetrap, placing one near each corner of the trap.
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3
Screw one of the eye hooks about halfway down the wheel axle that you wish to use for the back wheels.
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4
Slide the largest of your wheels along the prepared axle and slide it down until it's in the middle of the axle. Use clay or a clog from a wheel axle kit to fix the wheel in place on the axle.
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5
Slide the axle into the eye hooks on the extended end of your mousetrap. Adjust the eye hooks so that the axle is held in place but allowed to turn freely.
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6
Glue another long and thin scrap of wood to the arm of the mousetrap so that it looks almost like the mousetrap has a flag sticking out of it. Tie a long piece of string to this arm.
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7
Slide the second axle into the eye hooks on the front of the mousetrap and secure the CDs onto the axle as you did with the larger wheel.
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8
Pull the mousetrap's arm back and set the trap. Loosely tie the free end of the string to the hook screwed into the back axle. Spin your larger wheel so that the sting winds tightly around the axle. Put the racer on the ground and release the trap.
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Tips & Warnings
When building a mousetrap racer designed for distance, use a thicker wheel axle than you would otherwise.
Using a back wheel with a larger diameter will help you increase the distance on your racer.
By loosely tying the string to the back axle, you allow it to pull off once the string is completely used, allowing the axle to use the gathered momentum to continue to propel the car forward.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit mousetrap-american coin image by William Berry from Fotolia.com
