Mouse Trap Car

There are many ways to build a mouse trap car depending on the requirements of the designer and purpose of the car. Even the materials of the parts that you will use may vary depending on your mouse trap car’s needs.

Remember that there is no single correct way to create this type of contraption. There are many right ways as much as wrong ways. But for the purposes of providing beginners and Physics class students who are in desperate need of help, we will provide the basic parts and steps needed to build your own mouse trap car.

Materials:

• 1 wooden mouse trap
• string
• 4 wheels
• 2 axles (preferably light but hard, cylindrical rods)
• 4 eye hooks
• 4 metal washers
• 4 rubber washers

Tools:

• tape
• epoxy or super glue
• scissors
• graphite powder (optional)

Instructions:

1.The first thing you have to do is  attach the four eye hooks on the mouse trap’s base. Two eye hooks are placed on short end of the mouse trap. Be careful to make sure that the holes of the eye hooks are aligned.

2.Measure the axles. Make sure that the axles fit the eye hooks. There should be enough space for the rods to turn. The length of the axles must be longer than the mouse trap to avoid friction. Make sure that the axles are parallel to each other.

3.Put the rubber washers. Position them near the eye hooks. This will keep the axle in position and prevent it from moving or sliding sideways when moving. Remember to leave some space between the rubber washer and the eye hook to allow movement of the axle.

4.Glue the wheels on the axle. The wheels should be firm and secure to be sure that no energy will be wasted when it starts moving. Be aware of your wheels’ traction capability as well. Smooth materials like plastic may require additional traction.

5.Tie the string on the jaw of the mouse trap. Make sure that it is secure and tied tightly. To keep it from sliding, you could tape it or glue it in place.

6.Coil the other end of the string to the rear axle. The direction of the coil should be opposite the direction of the mouse trap car’s intended movement direction.

7.Test it. Adjust the arts if necessary to make sure that the contraption would move as far or as fast as you intend it.

These are just the basic steps in building a mouse trap car. But, as we said, there are various ways in making your own. You can be creative by adding or improving the car’s parts. Remember that by changing the size or length of certain parts of your car, you may achieve different results which may be better or worse than the results of our basic mouse trap car.

Do not limit your mouse trap car design with the steps that we have provided. You can make your mousetrap car as complicated as you want with additional gears or pulleys for additional power or you could incline the body of the car with the from loser than the back portion for aerodynamics.
Now, start making your mouse trap car.