How to Make a Mouse Trap Powered Car Go 3 Meters
A mousetrap car is a common science and physics experiment to learn the principles of mechanical advantage. A mousetrap car is a toy car propelled simply by the power of the spring of a mousetrap. When the spring is released, the mousetrap car can travel an impressive distance. Learning to build the best mousetrap car is a matter of wheel size and traction, length of the car and weight of the body. These instructions will show how to make a mousetrap car go three meters.
Things You'll Need
- A mousetrap
- A string
- Wheels of different sizes such as CDs
- Rubber bands or balloons
- Three rods
Instructions
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Instructions
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1
Use a light body. Mass is important for the range of a mousetrap car. The lightest body will increase speed and distance. Use foam or wood, though foam is sometimes susceptible to breaking. The body can even be thinner than the mousetrap.
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2
Use large rear wheels. The front wheels have less effect on the mousetrap and should be chosen based on weight. Larger real wheels create a better mechanical advantage and get the most distance.
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3
Use a wheel with traction. Creating traction on the wheel will make a wheel better able to grip the floor and go farther. If the wheel doesn't have traction, you can wrap rubber bands or balloons around the edge to create it.
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4
Use a long lever on the mousetrap spring. The longer lever will create more distance from the rear wheel and the spring to make the mousetrap car go a longer distance.
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References
- Photo Credit mousetrap-american coin image by William Berry from Fotolia.com
