What kind of string is best for a mousetrap car?
The string has to be strong enough to handle the pulling force but flexible and thin enough to wind tightly around the drive axle. We recommend using a Kevlar based fishing line because its high strength. You should stay away from nylon fishing line and dental floss, these do not work well with mousetrap racers.
Should a mousetrap car be heavy or light?
Lighter mousetrap vehicles will require less energy at the start and can use longer lever arms for more pulling distance. Always use lightweight components when building a mousetrap vehicle. bonus tip: lightweight mousetrap vehicles require less pulling force off the start.
Is wood or cardboard better for mousetrap car?
Balsa wood, pine, or bass wood are excellent choices although balsa wood is somewhat brittle and hard to drill holes into without ripping. Other materials can also be used for making a light weight strong and stiff frame. These include Styrofoam, corrugated cardboard, plastics, aluminum and brass tubing.
Does the length of a mousetrap car matter?
Vehicle weight is an important factor to consider reducing if your mousetrap vehicle is not traveling far enough. The greater your mousetrap vehicle weighs, the shorter the distance it will cover and the speed it will travel. This consequence is due to the limited energy within the mousetrap.
What makes a mouse trap car go further?
To adapt your mousetrap car for distance, use large, light wheels for less friction and greater inertia. For example, old CDs make great wheels to increase distance. If your car is a rear-wheel drive car, set the wheels on a narrow rear axle so the wheels turn more and travel further.
How do you make a mousetrap car move?
The most basic design for propelling a mousetrap racers is to tie one end of a string to a mouse trap’s snapper arm and then attach the other end of the string to a drive axle. By turning the drive axle the string is wound around the drive axle causing the mouse trap’s spring to compress and store energy.
What is the most important thing to keep in mind when designing a mousetrap car?
Traction is a major issue when it comes to building a super fast speed-trap racer. If there is not enough traction between the drive wheels and the floor then your mousetrap racer will not be able to accelerate as designed. Use drive wheels that provide a lot of traction on the floor.
How do I keep my mousetrap wheels straight?
Using a small round file, remove some of the material on the back side of the axle hole on the right front in order to bring the axle hole closer to the rear and get the front axle pointed straight. Only remove small amounts of material and test run the mousetrap vehicle until the racer eventually travels straight.
Why is my mousetrap car not moving?
If you place your mousetrap vehicle on the ground and the vehicle does not move, or it does not accelerate as quickly as needed, then you can do one of two things, you can shorten the length of the lever arm and reposition the mouse trap closer to the drive axle or you can build up the drive axle with tape (see how to …
Is weight important in a mousetrap car?
The greater your mousetrap vehicle weighs, the shorter the distance it will cover and the speed it will travel. This consequence is due to the limited energy within the mousetrap.
How do you make a fast mousetrap car?
If you haven’t realized it yet, increasing the length of the lever arm attached to the mousetrap, increases the total mechanical advantage of the car. Therefore, to increase your car’s speed, you can reduce the length of the lever arm attached to the mousetrap.
How big should mousetrap car wheels be?
The ideal size for an ultra big wheel on a long distance mousetrap racer seams to be somewhere between 10 and 15 inches. And the ideal size for a drive wheel on a speed-trap racer seams to be between 2 and 3 inches but no more than 4 inches.
What is the fastest mousetrap car design?
The Speed-Trap Racer is the fastest mousetrap powered racer anywhere and was designed after Doc Fizzix’s own record-setting mousetrap racer that traveled 5 meters in 1.2 seconds.
Are big wheels better for a mousetrap car?
Wheels and Axles Larger drive wheels will have a greater travel distance per each turn compared to smaller drive wheel. It would make sense to use a super huge drive wheel so for each turn of this massive drive wheel the mousetrap vehicle will travel an incredible distance.
What is the best length for a lever arm for mousetrap car?
For maximum speed, position the mousetrap 2 1/4 inches from the drive axle and cut the lever arm to a length of 4 1/4 inches. The lever arm can be cut using a dremel tool or by using a fine tooth hobby saw. The lever arm should always be “just” long enough to reach the drive axle or performance will be compromised.
How do you make a mousetrap car go forward and backwards?
To make a reversing mousetrap car go forward and then come back you will need to know how to “back-wind” the string. Back-winding the string it a technique where you first wind the string around the axle in one direction and then rewind the string in the opposite direction.
How do you make a mousetrap stronger?
Stiffening the Torsion Spring The more coils on a torsion spring, the greater the force output. That’s because the more that you twist it around, it’s as if you’re building and storing energy.
Are CD wheels good for mousetrap car?
Because CDs and DVDs are some of the best wheels you will ever find for building a long distance mousetrap powered vehicle. CD/DVD wheels can slice through the air with very little air resistance and they have very little rotational inertia.
What does the lever arm do in a mousetrap car?
Changing the length of a mouse trap’s snapper (or lever arm) is how you control a mousetrap vehicle’s acceleration and/or travel distance. Different lengths of lever arms can be used to increase and/or decrease the pulling force and change the amount of string that can be pulled off the drive axle.
How do you make a rubber band car racer?
Take a rubber band and loop it through the lollipop stick near the front axle. Hook the other end of the rubber band around the skewer tip attached to the back axle. To wind up your car, carefully turn the large wheels of the car so that the rubber band winds around the back axle. Let go and watch your car spin off!