How do you build a mousetrap car ???
By SatchelFirst Semester Exhibition
Demonstration
Agenda
• Why I chose this topic• History• Important information• Step by step• Compare 2 racers• Fun facts• Questions & Comments
WHY ?????I chose this topic from a list of ideas that Mrs. Tiggs had because it seemed interesting.
History
The mousetrap car was invented to allow students to see and understand how the concepts of physics are applied.
The first mousetrap car was invented by British inventor James Henry Atkinson in 1897. He was an engineer born in England (1849-1942)
His most famous invention was the mousetrap- he called it the “Little Nipper”
Little Nipper
http://inventors.about.com/od/mstartinventions/a/mousetrap.htm
Important Information
• A mousetrap powered car uses a mousetrap for a motor and a string to transmit force.
• One end of a string is attached to an arm on the mousetrap and the other end is wound around an axle.
• If you wind the string around the axle, the mousetrap spring is stretched and you have stored energy
More Information
• As the mousetrap car is released, the mousetrap pulls the string off the axle causing the wheels to turn….. & OFF THE VEHICLE GOES!!!!!!!!
Step-by-Step
• The Basic Racer had 25 steps!!!!!• See my pictures
Materials
Measuring
Drilling
Building
Axles & Wheels
Balancing Tires
Attaching Mousetrap to Deck Top
Attaching String
Basic Racer Completed
Doc Fizzix
Basic Racer I
Basic racer #1 facts
• Great all-around racer• It can go fast• Can travel long distances• It can carry weight• Easy to build• More stable• Easier to operate
Big Wheel Racer
Big wheel facts
• Travels a greater distance for each rotation of the wheel compared to a basic racer.
• Its hard to build and it needs a lot of fine-tuning to maximize its distance
Fun Facts
• You can build a fast mousetrap car by using large wheels made from old cd’s that have rubber bands around them for better traction
• The mouse trap car cost $10.00 to make• The spring on the mouse trap gives the car its speed
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Resources
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBPipeb8t3Q
• http://www.ehow.com/how_6506021_instructions-kids-build-mousetrap-car.html
• http://www.scienceguy.org/Articles/MousetrapCarConstructionArticlePlan.aspx
• http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mousetrap_car
Resources
• Doc Fizzix Mousetrap Racers: The Complete Builder’s by Alden Balmer
Questions & Comments