Mouse Trap car report. Description of how we built, materials, showed relation the Newton's Laws.
Mouse Trap Car
The mouse trap car we designed for this project was pretty standard. We used metal rods with rubber wheels attached for the axles and wheels. We supported the axles to the frame using "U" nails. Our wheels featured some spinners as well. For the actual body of the car we glued the mouse trap on another piece of wood to lengthen the body. The mouse trap was hot glued on the top with a extended arm for more leverage. One end of a rope was glued on the extended mouse trap arm and the other end to the rear axle. As you wound the back wheels the rope would whined as well pulling the arm of the mouse trap back. When the trap arm was released the rope would begin to unwind spinning the rear wheels.
As it comes to the performance of our car I think it preformed alright. It could have done a lot better. I believe are car made it about five meters. Two strengths of are car where probably the spinners on the wheels, and also the way we have the back of the mouse trap carved out allowing more room for the rope to be wound. Two definite weaknesses of are car was that the back wheels were not big enough therefore the car would spin out most of the time. Another weakness is that the axles were not on there perfectly straight so the tires would rub against the body of the car causing friction.
During the construction of the car a big problem we ran into was that the front end was running to close to the ground. The way we solved it was by making extender legs from the body of the car to the axle. One good way to improve are mouse trap car design would be to go bigger all together. Bigger wheels, longer and wider body. If the body was longer it would allow for more leverage and more winding possibilities. Also, a longer rope because after the rope ran out it would pull back against the way it originally sent the car.
The main thing I learned from this was that friction is a good thing when it comes to the wheels. Secondly, that it is a must that your axles go on
The mouse trap car we designed for this project was pretty standard. We used metal rods with rubber wheels attached for the axles and wheels. We supported the axles to the frame using "U" nails. Our wheels featured some spinners as well. For the actual body of the car we glued the mouse trap on another piece of wood to lengthen the body. The mouse trap was hot glued on the top with a extended arm for more leverage. One end of a rope was glued on the extended mouse trap arm and the other end to the rear axle. As you wound the back wheels the rope would whined as well pulling the arm of the mouse trap back. When the trap arm was released the rope would begin to unwind spinning the rear wheels.
As it comes to the performance of our car I think it preformed alright. It could have done a lot better. I believe are car made it about five meters. Two strengths of are car where probably the spinners on the wheels, and also the way we have the back of the mouse trap carved out allowing more room for the rope to be wound. Two definite weaknesses of are car was that the back wheels were not big enough therefore the car would spin out most of the time. Another weakness is that the axles were not on there perfectly straight so the tires would rub against the body of the car causing friction.
During the construction of the car a big problem we ran into was that the front end was running to close to the ground. The way we solved it was by making extender legs from the body of the car to the axle. One good way to improve are mouse trap car design would be to go bigger all together. Bigger wheels, longer and wider body. If the body was longer it would allow for more leverage and more winding possibilities. Also, a longer rope because after the rope ran out it would pull back against the way it originally sent the car.
The main thing I learned from this was that friction is a good thing when it comes to the wheels. Secondly, that it is a must that your axles go on