Directions for Homemade Mouse Trap Vehicles

Mouse trap cars carry extra torque.

Mouse trap car construction is a common project in middle school classrooms. The lesson aims to teach students about the extra torque that is stored in the spring of the mousetrap when it is triggered. The stored energy brings torque to the rear axle, which propels the car over a smooth surface. Only a few materials are needed to build a mouse trap car. The mouse trap is the body of the car, compact discs create the wheels, rubber bands are the tires and ballpoint pens make the axles.

Things You'll Need

• 4 compact discs
• Rubber bands
• Pin
• Mousetrap
• 4 eye hooks
• 1-foot length of string
• 2 ballpoint pens
• Glue

Instructions

1. Screw eye hooks with your fingers into each short edge or your mousetrap. Rotate them so the front of the eyes are facing the ground. Put each 1 cm. from the outside edges.

2. Disassemble your ballpoint pens. Poke a tiny hole in the center of one of the pen tubes with a pin. Poke it through to the other side. You will need to grind this away until you create the hole. Slide your cut tube through the eye hooks at the rear of your car, which is the opposite side from where the bait goes. Slide your uncut pen tube through the front eye hooks.

3. Thread your string through the pen tube hole. Tie a knot so it can't be pulled back through. Tie the other string end to the middle of the mouse trap bar. Glue it down with a small dab.

4. Wind rubber bands around each end of the two pen tubes. Slide your discs onto the rubber bands. Ensure they are perpendicular to the floor. These are your wheels.

5. Stretch over the edge of each wheel a rubber band. These will be tires.

6. Pull back the mouse trap bar. Don't let it snap back. Set it.

References

• Mouse Trap Car: Mouse Trap Car
• Mousetrap Cars: Mousetrap Car and Vehicle Propulsion Theory