Table Of Content
Bearing – this is the contact point between the turning axle and the attachment to the chassis; the less friction in the bearings the more efficient the mousetrap car. With too much friction in the bearings the mousetrap the mousetrap might not even move or stop repeatedly. The ideal size for a drive wheel on a speed-trap racer is between 2 and 3 inches but no more than 4 inches. Cut holes a little bit smaller than the dowel through the center of each wheel, then attach the wheels to the chassis. Put the large wheels on the back of the car, opposite the snapper arm.
Step 3: 3D Print
As you plan your project think about all the points of friction in your design and look for ways to decrease the friction at these points. Because the number of moving components increases the friction look for ways to simplify your design as much as possible. Take a mousetrap and remove the pieces that make up the release trigger (bait holder and wire bail, see picture). Use two or three 4” zip ties to secure the ¼ inch dowel to the snap arm and reinforce with tape or hot glue. Glue the mousetrap in place towards the front on the topside of the car with hot glue.
How to Propagate Prayer Plant: A Step-by-Step Guide to Success
After building a couple of Doc Fizzix’s mousetrap car kits I designed several of my own cars although it was basically two different major designs and then small variations. The latest mousetrap car uses a foam block for a chassis, coat hanger wire for axles, and CD wheels. This design works well but it was designed mainly to be inexpensive.
Science Fans, Embrace the Challenge of Cool DIY Projects
The concept of torque is also important in flight like in this quadcopter, check out my article Basic Quadcopters. For my experiment I measured the force in grams at 4 centimeters from the axis at 25, 90, and 180 degrees. I then measured at 28 centimeters from the axis and then calculated what the force should be based on the measurements at 4 centimeters. Measurements were also taken at 28 centimeters so a comparison could be done between the calculated and the measured. Torque has been defined either as a twisting force or the tendency to rotate around an axis. A common example of torque is tightening a bolt with a wrench.
We watched YouTube video after YouTube video together and read tutorials on Instructables. It was about 8 pm Sunday night when we finished our second car. They had to turn in their prototype the next morning for evaluation. The car would only spin in circles or flip over and couldn’t move in a straight line. We hoped the teacher would have some suggestions on how to improve it. This simple science experiment can be fine-tuned to perfection.
The last note is to place your mousetrap as close to the front of the car as possible. In non-technical terms, this means that the same force from the mousetrap on each snap gets exerted over a longer string pull. When you have more string, it means more rotations of the axles, and thus your car will go further. If you're planning on teaching this project to a group of kids, then download the attached lesson plan and project sheet. Like all of my lesson plans, it contains the project goal, prep, troubleshooting, and a suggested lesson plan. The lesson plan is an outline, and it's provided as an editable .docx file, designed to be elaborated upon to suite your audience.
How to Build a Mousetrap Car for Distance with Professor Davis
When the car runs over another piece of tape or some other obstacle in its path, this releases the bar on another set of wheels and propels the car forward. Attach one axle to each mousetrap, making sure that it runs between the trap’s body and its metal bar. They must be in the right position so that your car will run correctly. Next, you need to attach four or more mousetraps to the base. You can use glue or another adhesive to hold them in place better. Make sure that there is about half an inch of space between them so that they don’t get caught together.
Once it is dry we will drill an 1/8 inch hole at the end of the dowel to attach a string. When the string is enough through the pen, tie something to the other end. Pull it back through and ensure that the object or knot stops against the other side of hole. Let’s break down some things that we changed when we made our new design and finally got a car that would run in a straight line over 6 meters.
This lesson plan also includes all the details on the math and science behind the car. The example mousetrap car built in this Instructable is a good place to start, but it's not the absolute best design. We can use our understanding of the math and science behind the car to test some ways to optimize its performance.
On the other end add a spacer and roll another piece of tape on the end. Finish the first axle by placing the second wheel on the tape. We are now going to start to prepare and assemble all of our components to assemble the 3D printed mousetrap car. However, this one will be built using a mouse trap, 4 eye hooks, 6 balloons, 2 Bic pens (the smooth kind), 2 tops from pop cans, some string, 4 CDs/DVDs (expendable ones).
It’s bad when it causes the axles of the car to stick and not rotated. However, it’s a good thing when it causes the back tires to stick to the ground, giving you more traction and helping propel your car forward. Using large rear wheels allow one rotation of the axle to take the car a much further distance. In other words, a given length of the string from the mousetrap moves the car a greater distance. Carefully wind the string around the dowel by turning the drive wheels. As much as possible, try to wrap just one layer of string around the dowel (picture 1).
Mousetrap powered vehicles - 6abc Philadelphia - WPVI-TV
Mousetrap powered vehicles - 6abc Philadelphia.
Posted: Wed, 02 Nov 2016 07:00:00 GMT [source]
The more the rotational inertia an object has the more torque that will be required to change the objects state of rotation. A large amount of rotational inertia can have an advantage once an object is rotating because it will be harder to stop rotating. For an object that is not rotating we commonly talk about its inertia or its mass; the more mass an object has the more resistance the object will have to any change in it's state of motion. The greater the distance between the average mass of a rotating object and it's point of rotation the greater the rotational inertia of the object. A large amount of rotational inertia can have an advantage once an object is rotating because it will be harder to change it's state of rotating. Not really as big of an issue with slow moving long-distance mousetrap cars air resistance is still a topic that needs to be discussed.
Be sure the dowel is pointing forward away from the notch in the cardboard and that the dowel also lines up with the center of the notch when it is pulled back. Attach a piece of string to the end of the ¼ inch dowel with a zip tie. Simply put, they convert the energy of the mousetrap's spring into rotational energy that gets delivered to one set of wheels. A rod connected to the trap bar (the piece normally used to snap a mouse's neck) pulls on a long piece of string wound around one of the axles.
A heavy mousetrap vehicle will required more pulling force than a lighter mousetrap vehicle in order to achieve an equal acceleration. 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. Inertia is the resistance that an object has to a change in its state of motion, the more inertia an object has the more force that will be required to change is state of motion off the start line. How does rotational inertia play into the design of a good distance-traveling mousetrap car?
Step 4Approximately, anticipate the center of one of those Bic pens and make a hole on that point. An easy way to do this is to screw the eye hook in the pen and taking it out. They drew up plans, modified them with the teacher’s help, and then last weekend we began constructing cars. They needed to do the work but I stood on the sidelines to help and guide them.
Now you need to attach the wheels to your car and make sure that everything works how it should. Some people use a hot glue gun or super glue for this, but be careful not to hurt yourself with either one. You can also use wax instead of something like Elmer’s glue if you don’t want something with an extra stronghold.
No comments:
Post a Comment