A mousetrap car is a simple device which moves using the tension built up of a mousetrap that is spring-loaded. The mousetrap serves as the main and only power source of the car. There are several physics principles that take place as the mousetrap car is in motion, including energy, newton’s laws, inertia, and friction. There are many different ways in which a mousetrap race car can be created. Many different materials can also be used. However, the methods are all similar. In one way, four wheels of the race car were first created. Any circular object with a hole in the center may be used. Two wheels have to be smaller to be placed in the front of the mousetrap and the other two wheels should be larger for the back of the mousetrap, which is opposite the snapper arm. A rubber band was then tied around the circumference of each wheel. If the mousetrap has a rod that is used to set it up, the rod must be removed (pliers may be used to do this). The mousetrap was then placed on top of the cardboard to serve as the base (chassis) of the mousetrap. A piece of cardboard, which is half an inch (1/2”) wider than the mousetrap on all sides, was cut with scissors. The mousetrap was then centered on top of the chassis and secured with duct tape on all four sides, avoiding the spring in the middle of the trap and the snapper arm of the trap. Four eye hooks were then screwed into each corner on the bottom side of the chassis. The hooks were lined up from front to back and side-to-side with a ruler. An alternative way is to drill two shallow holes on each of the short ends of the mousetrap about ½ inch in from each end. Two thin skewers were then cut to a length about 4 cm longer than the width of the axle rings. The skewers were cut so t... ... middle of paper ... ...n. When the mousetrap snapped closed, it yanked the string forward. If the energy from the mousetrap is released quickly, the car will move faster, but run out of energy sooner. If the energy from the mousetrap is released slowly, the car will move slower, but have energy for a longer distance. Many physics principles apply to a mousetrap race car, although it is a simple device. A mousetrap car is very simple to make because it can be created using several different materials and methods. Both of these laws prove that the more massive the mousetrap car, the more force that will be required to move the car. The mousetrap car works by transferring the spring’s energy to the car’s wheels. Friction acts in many ways while the mousetrap car is moving. All of these principles allow the mousetrap race car to function and should be considered when creating a mousetrap car.
A mousetrap-powered car is a vehicle that powers up and moves by the energy of a wound-up mousetrap’s spring. Its main components are the mousetrap, long metal rod, and the fishing line. In order to make the car work, the rod was wounded-up (wrapped) around the fishing line that had one end attached to the drive axle and the other end to the arm of the mousetrap, which pulls the snapper's lever arm closer to the drive axle. When the arms were released, the tension of the spring pulled the string off the axle. As a result, the fishing line string unraveled, causing the axle and the wheels to rotate, propelling the vehicle. There are various forms of energy that are involved with this car. First, it started off as potential (stored) energy that came from when the mousetrap was set by wounding the spring around the axle by the turning of the wheels, which caused the snapper’s lever arm to pull closer to the drive axle and the spring in the center was compressed. Since every action has an equal and opposite reaction, when the trap was released, most of the potential energy converted into kinetic (motion) energy, propelling the snapper arm forward. However, not all of the energy was converted into kinetic energy, as some of it was lost to the force of friction. Friction helped to spin the wheels and progress the car forward as when the string was pulled, friction between it and the axle caused the axle to rotate. In addition, the outside forces of friction caused the car to slow down and eventually come to a stop. Since energy cannot be destroyed, when the car came to a stop, the friction converted into thermal and heat energy.
For our mouse trap car we used many materials. We used cardboard, a mouse trap, tape, glue, CD’s, bottle caps, straws, skewers, and a long wooden stick for our project. Before starting the project we researched other mousetrap car that have worked in the past. We found out for more distance and speed we have to have a killbar extension. This is how we use the wooden stick. The reason this did so was because of the killbar the string would be more and faster so the axle would spin faster moving the wheels. The faster the wheels spin the faster the car would go.
Then I attached the “steps” to the milk crate. The steps will hold the base of the ratapult at a 25-degree angle. I attached the “steps” by drilling holes in the bottom of them and then tying them to the milk crate. Then I nailed the board with wallpaper into the back end of the base. The base was then nailed into the “steps”, and glued grass decorations and cardboard cows to the base. The ratapult was completed.
For this situation we have one force pulling in inverse to the next so that the net power transmitted is equivalents to P=v(F1-F2)
First, the parts of the car are made, and the frame is. placed on a conveyor belt. Workers are stationed along the belt to form an assembly line. As the conveyor belt moves. the car, each worker performs a task that they are specialized in. Each worker must perform their task quickly.
“How about we use a pulley system with a weight at the end to push the car forward?” my team member suggested. “Or we could use a hammer launcher,” I proposed. We went back and forth, contemplating different methods. We faced trials, tribulations, and troubles in the design process. Building and perfecting our designs took weeks, but our coach guided us throughout the process and encouraged us to “Never give up!” We researched the effects of different factors that could potentially come in the way of our success and analyzed all of the device possibilities. Even when research got arduous and we couldn’t agree on something, we never gave up on our dream of placing in the regional competition. This was one of the hardest challenges I’ve ever faced in my Science Olympiad career, but our unfaltering dedication and our belief in success helped us persist in the face of setbacks. Once we finished our plan, we began to build the device. It was exhilarating to see our plan come to
Now To talk about the forces that allow the car to move. There are two main aerodynamic forces acting on any object moving through the air. Lift is a force that acts 90° to the direction of travel of an object. Usually we think of lift when we think of an airplane. The plane travels forward (horizontally), and lift acts 90° to that motion of travel –
The main advantage of the track over the wheels is that it can distribute a very large force over a large area. That means that instead of applying all the force on little area where wheels touch the ground, it applies it over the whole area of the track.
I cut the arm down to about 9” so it can be a little shorter than the base. I didn't cut it to short or to long because it needs to be able to reach the back axle for the string to wind up. My first time making the car the wheels were uneven and wobble which caused the car to curve when in motion causing it to knock into everything in sight. Fortunately i was able to fix that problem with the help of my hot glue gun. I glued each side of my CDs to the axle to help with the stability of the wheels and the car. Another big thing about the car is that it can't be to heavy or it wont move at all or just move slowly and not go the distance you would
All three of Newton's laws apply to the balloon car. Since it slows down Newton’s first law is affecting the car. The law states the car would keep moving at a constant speed unless another force acts on it. The force of friction is acting on the car which is the other force that slows it down. Newton’s second law was able to help make the car. The law states that if mass goes up acceleration goes down and vice versa. Since the mass of the car was low, the car was able to gain a lot of acceleration to move it along. Lastly, Newton's third law applies to the car because when the the balloon pushes the air out of the car the air pushes back on the balloon. Since the balloon is part of the car the air is pushing our car along the track with applied
distance of the toy car, may well consist of; the mass of the car, the
Sufficient length of string was attached to the hanger so that the free end wraps once round the axle of the flywheel. 5. The mass was winded up to an appropriate height. 6. Verified that the string fell off the axle when the mass hit the ground.
The average driver doesn’t think about what keeps their car moving or what keeps them on the road, but that’s because they don’t have to. The average driver doesn’t have to worry about having enough downforce to keep them on the road or if they will reach the adhesive limit of their car’s tires around a turn. These are the things are the car designers, professional drivers, racing pit crews, serious sports car owners, and physicist think about. Physics are an important part of every sports and racing car design. The stylish curves and ground effects on sports cars are usually there not just for form but function as well allowing you to go speeds over 140 mph in most serious sports cars and remain on the road and in reasonable control.
Automobile accidents happen all around us. We see cars in the middle of the road after just rear ending each other. We see cars driving around town with big dents in them. Do you ever stop to wonder how car accidents happen? Physics; that’s how they happen. There are several aspects of physics that apply to automobile accidents.
Bosnor, Kevin. "How Flying Cars Will Work." Howstuffworks. How Stuff Works Inc., 1998. Web. 24 Jan.