How does a mousetrap car relate to physics?
How does a mousetrap car relate to physics?
The mousetrap storespotential energyin the form of the spring. That potential energy is converted into kinetic energy in the form of the arm rotating forward. The arm pulls on the wound-up string, which turns the drive wheel dowel, which is connected to the wheels, which makes the car drive forward.
How do you put traction on a mousetrap car?
Adding Traction to Wheel Rubber bands can be stretches and placed directly over a wheel or the middle section of a balloon can be cut and then also stretch around a wheel to help increase the traction. The balloon trick should not be used on Doc Fizzix DVD-layers.
Why are CDs good for mousetrap cars?
Mouse Trap Cars: CD/DVD Wheels. Learn more about using DVDs/CDs as wheels on your mousetrap racer. DVDs/CDs make great wheels because they can slice through the air with very little resistance. The problem is that the CD/DVD has a large hole that some how needs to be tapered down in order to fit a smaller diameter axle …
What class of lever is used in a mousetrap car?
second-class lever
When you set the mousetrap, you are using a second-class lever. The load is the arm of the spring that is being pushed down to compress the spring. The effort force is your fingers on the end of the snapper arm, and the fulcrum is the pivot point in the middle of the trap.
How do mousetrap cars reduce friction?
Try to have a minimum gap of 1/8 inch between the frame and any spacers (or wheels) in order to decrease any rubbing friction. Use thrust washers and graphite powder between spacers (or wheels) and the frame to help reduce the rubbing friction.
How do I put traction on my wheels?
The Rocking Technique If you don’t have chains, and your vehicle is moving forward some but then stopping, try “rocking” back and forth between forward and reverse gears. Give it a little gas just as the vehicle starts to swing forward out of reverse. This may give you enough momentum to drive out.
What do you need for a mousetrap car?
What You Need:
- Wooden snap-back mousetrap.
- Duct tape.
- 4 eye hooks.
- Wooden dowel that fits inside the eye hooks.
- Heavy cardboard.
- Large and small rubber bands.
- Foam board (usually found at a craft store)
- String.
What is the force of a mouse trap?
Variability Among Trap Types in Rat and Mouse Traps Clamping force varied between 1.69 and 9.36 N (mean = 4.64, SE = 0.43, n = 23) and between 5.03 and 23.10 N (mean = 11.32, SE = 1.45, n = 18) for mouse and rat traps respectively.
What are the simple machines in 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 is the friction of a mousetrap car?
A moving mousetrap car is affected by two type of friction: airfriction and bearing friction. Airfriction is a large factor only with cars that are moving fast and is nearly negligible for slow-moving distance cars; therefore, in this lab you will only take bearing friction into consideration.
What is a mouse-trap car?
A mouse-trap car is a vehicle that is powered by the energy that can be stored in a wound up mouse-trap spring. The most basic design is as follows: a string is attached to a mouse-trap’s lever arm and then the string is wound around a drive axle causing the mouse-trap’s spring to be under tension.
How do you increase traction on a mousetrap car?
Tires with poor grip on the floor will have a tendency to slip when under a load thereby decreasing a mousetrap car’s maximum acceleration or limiting the force that can be applied to the floor. In some situations you can increase the traction of a wheel by adding a non-slipping gel such as Traction Action to the tire’s surface.
What are the best materials to use for a mousetrap car?
One of the best materials you can use for your mousetrap car is using old CDs.
Why is the equation for a mousetrap car an approximation?
However, it is worth mentioning that this equation is an approximation, for two reasons: First, it assumes that there are no friction losses. Secondly, it doesn’t account for the rotational motion of the wheels. This equation assumes that the mousetrap car is a fully rigid object.
