Directions on How to Build a Speed Mousetrap Car
Science teachers often teach students how to build mousetrap cars because they are fun and educational. A mousetrap car is driven by a string that is connected between the spring-loaded snap of the mousetrap and one of the car's axles. Mousetrap cars can be built either for speed or to travel long distances. If you choose to build a speed mousetrap car, you will use small wheels with a large drive axle connected to the mousetrap.
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Things You'll Need
- Spring mousetrap
- Two 6-inch long strips of 1/4-inch thick balsa wood
- Four 2-inch diameter round pieces of plywood
- One 4-inch long section of 1/4-inch diameter wooden dowel
- Epoxy
- Wire coat hanger
- Power drill
- Drill bits
- Pliers
- String
Instructions
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1
Remove the bait holder and the catch from the mousetrap. Cut the U-shaped wire snap mechanism as close to the base as possible. Straighten the two 90-degree bends in the snap to make one long, straight spring-loaded arm.
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2
Cut a straight 4-inch piece of wire from the coat hanger. Cut another piece of wire at about 1/4-inch in length.
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3
Install a 5/32-inch drill bit into the drill. Position the two pieces of balsa wood with the flat sides aligned. Drill a hole through the two boards centered about 1/2-inch in from one end of the boards. Replace the bit with a 9/32-inch bit and drill a similar hole 1/2-inch in from the opposite end of the balsa wood.
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4
Insert an 1/8-inch drill bit into the drill and make a through hole in the center of two of the plywood wheels. Switch to a 1/4-inch drill bit, and drill a center hole in the other two plywood wheels.
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5
Insert the 4-inch wire through the two small holes in the balsa wood. Affix a plywood wheel onto each end of this wire axle with some epoxy.
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6
Repeat the previous step with the 1/4-inch dowel through the rear holes in the balsa strips, and attach a plywood wheel to each end of the dowel with epoxy.
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7
Drill a 1/8-inch hole halfway through the center of the rear axle dowel, drilling perpendicular to the long axis of the axle. Affix the 1/4-inch long piece of wire coat hanger into this hole with epoxy.
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8
Position the mousetrap over the two rails, with the long wire arm facing forward, away from the large rear axle. Align the two balsa rails with the long outside edges of the mousetrap. Glue into place with epoxy.
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9
Cut the long wire arm on the mousetrap to about three inches in length. Make a 90-degree bend about 1/4-inch in from the end of the wire arm with a pair of pliers.
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10
Tie a loop at the end of a piece of string. Place the loop over the small protruding wire hook in the center of the rear axle. Stretch the string toward the end of the wire arm and cut the string where it meets the bend in the end of the arm. Tie the open end of the string to the bend in the arm.
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11
Bend the arm back toward the rear axle. Slip the loop over the hook in the axle and rotate the rear wheels so that the string winds around the rear axle. Keep bending the arm toward the back and winding the string until the arm is tight against the rear axle. Hold the arm tightly against the rear axle.
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12
Place the car on a flat surface and release the spring-loaded arm. The car should lurch forward very quickly as the string is pulled, rotating the rear wheels.
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Tips & Warnings
If the rear wheels on the car spin instead of gripping the floor, try gluing a wide rubber band onto each of the drive wheels.
References
- Photo Credit mousetrap image by Brett Mulcahy from Fotolia.com
