What material is best for a mousetrap car?
A mousetrap car can be made from cardboard or balsa wood with CD’s for wheels and axles of wood or brass tubing. Power to drive the wheels is provided by a mousetrap to which a wand and string is attached to the snap arm.
What makes up the powertrain of a mousetrap car?
Acting as a powertrain that transfers energy from the spring motor to tires are the lever, string, as well as the wheel and axle. On a mousetrap, a spring is connected to a lever. As the spring is released it transfers its torque to the lever.
What are the parts of a mousetrap car?
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.
What can be used as a lever arm for a mousetrap car?
In this method the original mouse trap’s snapper arm is removed all together and then replaced with a new assembly. The replacement lever arm is either a 1/8 brass or steel rod (not a coat hanger).
How do you make a mousetrap car go a certain distance?
Use a narrow rear axle. If your rear axle is extremely skinny, your mousetrap car will be able to turn it more times for the same length of string than it would if it were wider. This translates to turning your rear wheels more times, meaning greater distance!
What is a good distance for a mousetrap car?
25.5ft
The average distance the rattap car went was 18.6875ft and the average distance the mousetrap car went was 25.5ft.
What is an axle hook on a mousetrap car?
An important part of a mousetrap vehicles propulsion system is the axle hook. If the string does not properly release from the drive axle the string will rewind around the drive axle and cause the mousetrap car to come to an instant stop.
What is needed to build a mouse trap car?
Materials Needed for a Mousetrap Car. There are several materials needed to build a basic mousetrap car. These items should be available at your local hardware store. You need a wooden mousetrap, two rubber bands, metal rods, eye screws, plywood, a drill, a small handsaw, a scale, a ruler, a vice or someone to hold the project steady, and wood glue.
What are the instructions for mouse trap?
Mouse Trap Instructions Release the arm bar from the staple. Move the arm bar to the back of the trap so it hangs over the back of the trap. Apply a small amount of high-protein bait, such as peanut butter, hazelnut spread or bacon to the yellow plastic pedal on the trap as shown.
How does the mouse trap car work?
The mousetrap powered car works by changing the kinetic energy (of a loaded mousetrap) into kinetic energy (when the trap springs). The jaw snapping shut pulls the string, which makes the axles turn, which spins the tires-propelling the car forward.
What is a trap car?
A bait car, also called a decoy car, hot car or trap car, is a vehicle used by law enforcement agencies to capture car thieves or thieves who steal items from cars.