Physics Mousetrap Lab

Mouse Trap Racecar Project

Eric Lamond

SPHU3

April 29, 2014

Abstract The objective project was to use our knowledge of physic properties to create a working car that was powered by a mouse trap. I found that the lighter the car was and the more traction the car had, the further it travelled.

Introduction The purpose of this project was to create a car that is powered by a mouse trap. We were to use our knowledge of physics laws to make the best car we can. I knew from Newton’s Law, F=ma, that if my car had a lower mass it would accelerate faster and travel further.
Materials
Mouse Trap
4 CDs
Pens
Wood Paint Stirring Sticks
Plastic Coat Hanger
Glue
Fishing Wire
Balloon
Results
Styrofoam Base – 0m
Wood Frame Base – 6m
Extended Coat Hanger- 9m
Balloon Strips on Driving Wheels- 10 m
Discussion
Newton’s 1st Law: If the net force on an object is zero the object will stay at rest or continue at the same velocity. The car will stay at rest until the mouse trap is released, causing an unbalanced force which spins the axle, propelling the car forward.

Newton’s 2nd Law: If the external force on the object is not zero it will accelerate in the direction of the net force, F=ma. If the car has a lighter mass it will accelerate faster.
Newton’s 3rd Law: For every force there is an equal reaction force in the opposite direction. When the mouse trap pulls the string backwards, it spins the axle forwards with the same force driving the car forward.

Energy was conserved in the arm of the mouse trap. When the arm of the mouse trap is pulled back there is potential energy stored up. When the arm of the mouse trap is returning to its original position the potential energy gets converted into kinetic energy. The different types of energy involve were mechanical energy, the energy that caused its movement, gravitational energy, which kept the car on the ground, and sound energy which created the sounds the car made.

Conclusion What I learned through the process of this building my car is that a car will work better if there is less friction on the axle. My original model had a Styrofoam frame that created a lot of friction on the wheels, causing the car to accelerate at a slower speed. My car’s strength is how long the car can continue to accelerate. My cars weakness is the fact that it has a bad curve to the right. The change I would make in the future is to make sure the wheels are glued straight so the car can travel a further distance in a straight line.