What is a mouse trap race car?

Mousetrap cars are an old standby for science projects in grade school. The idea is to use the spring mechanism of a standard mousetrap to power a homemade race car. You wind up the car by setting the trap. The trap bar is tied to a string wound around the axel and when it is […]

What is the world record mousetrap car distance?

182 meters
Description: The secret to Doc Fizzix’s world record setting mousetrap distance racer that traveled over 182 meters was it’s unique pulley system.

How does a mousetrap racer work?

A mousetrap car works on the principle of a lever. One end of the lever is connected to a spring. When a force is used to pull up the other end of the lever up, the spring tightens, storing energy. When the lever is released, the stored energy in the spring is transferred back to the lever, and the end snaps back.

How is a mouse trap car powered?

A basic mousetrap car is powered by attaching a string to the “snap” lever on the trap, looping the other end to a small hook on the axle, winding the string around the axle of the car pulling back on the lever and arming it.

What kind of string is best 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.

What will make a mousetrap car go faster?

A speedy mousetrap car will have smaller wheels (faster acceleration), a shorter lever arm (increased torque, but smaller travel distance), a larger axle (increased acceleration) and will generally be smaller to decrease air resistance.

How does a mousetrap car self propel?

The most basic design for propelling a mousetrap racers is to tie one end of a string to a mouse trap’s snapper arm and then attach the other end of the string to a drive axle. By turning the drive axle the string is wound around the drive axle causing the mouse trap’s spring to compress and store energy.

What simple machines are in a mousetrap car?

Six Simple Machines Inclined plane • Wedge • Screw • Lever • Wheel and axle • Pulley Your mousetrap vehicle will have a number of moving parts making it a type of machine.