Project Goal

Students are challenged to build a mousetrap car that can travel the farthest distance possible

Design Variables

Length string/arm/frame, weight of the frame

Key Concepts

Energy conversion is when one kind of energy is changed into another kind

Mechanical advantage is the ratio of the input force to the output force

Friction is a force that opposes the motion between two things that are in contact

Notes

Mousetraps are only unsafe when the metal spring-arm is pulled all the way back. It’s not especially dangerous to pull it back slightly while building the mousetrap arm.

TROUBLESHOOTING

how it works

1. The mousetrap stores potential energy when the spring-arm is pulled back.

2. The string is wound around the drive wheel axle.

3. When released, that potential energy is converted into kinetic (moving) energy in the form of the drive wheels turning.

4. The distance the metal spring-arm travels is short, but the energy output is very strong. Through the extended arm and large wheels, that short burst of energy from the mousetrap is converted into a slow, longer-lasting output of energy because it has a very low mechanical advantage.