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. The last note is to place your mousetrap as close to the front of the car as possible.
Does a faster mousetrap car mean a further distance?
A mousetrap car built for distance
will have larger wheels
(travels a longer distance per turn), a longer lever arm (increase the distance the car is able to travel), a smaller axle (delivers more torque to the drive wheels) and may be larger, due to the larger size of the wheels.
What is the best length for a mousetrap car?
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.
How do you make a mousetrap car move?
Power to drive the wheels is provided by a mousetrap to which a wand and string is attached to the
snap arm
. Winding the string around the axle pulls back the snap arm and releasing the snap arm pulls the string, turning the wheels.
How do you increase the distance of a mousetrap car?
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. The last note is to place your mousetrap as close to the front of the car as possible.
Why is my mousetrap car not moving?
If a mousetrap vehicle is struggling to move and/or needs more acceleration then the lever arms can be shortened in order
to increase the pulling force
. Keep in mind that you will also have to reposition the mouse trap closer to the drive axle or the system will not work as intended.
Why is my mousetrap car not going straight?
If your mousetrap car does not travel straight energy is also being wasted to over come the force of friction turning the vehicle’s wheels. If a mousetrap vehicle is not traveling straight then there is one reason and one reason only:
the front and rear axles are not parallel to one another
!
What happens if the mousetrap is mounted too close to the drive axle?
What happens if the mousetrap is mounted too far from the drive axle?
You will lose pulling force or energy to friction
. … The energy goes too quickly and you lose pulling force.
What kind of string do you use 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.
How do you fix this mousetrap car suddenly stops or slows quickly?
Test spin your mousetrap racers wheels in order to see how friction-free they spin. If the wheels stop spinning fairly quickly then you will need to find ways to reduce the axle friction. Try
using graphite powder or even replacing bushings with ball bearings
.
What are the best materials for a mousetrap car?
- 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.
When designing a trap car What are the 2 variables that truly determine performance?
In general, mousetrap competitions have two categories,
speed and distance
. If you want to optimize for speed, you’ll want to design a car that exerts as much force/rotation as possible on the wheels as fast as possible.
How do mousetrap cars reduce friction?
Micro-bearings
can be used with all rubber band and mousetrap racers to reduce friction. how they work: Micro-ball bearings hold the axle and allow the axle to spin on a surface of tinny balls that reduce the surface friction to near zero.
Where should I place the mousetrap for the best performance?
For optimal performance the mouse trap should be positioned
on the chassis
so that the tip of the lever arm falls directly above the drive axle when the mouse trap is in the fully wound position (as pictured bellow). If the mouse trap is not aligned properly with the drive axle energy will be wasted off the start.
How long should the lever arm be on a mousetrap car for distance?
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 does momentum affect a mousetrap car?
Learn all about momentum and how it applies to mousetrap powered vehicles. Momentum is a combination of newton’s laws and energy. …
The faster an object is moving the more momentum it has in it’s direction of motion
and the harder it will be to changes it’s motion.
