WINSPIRE EMPOWERING YOUTH Issue 5 Volume 3 | Page 28

Can you take the energy from a mousetrap and use it to power a car ? Now try it out with Mousetrap Car !

28

S CIENCE PROJECT

SCIENCE PROJECT

How to Build a Mousetrap Car

Can you take the energy from a mousetrap and use it to power a car ? Now try it out with Mousetrap Car !

mousetrap car makes for a great science

A project for physics classroom experiment , or a fun weekend activity . Mousetrap cars are frequently used to help students learn about mechanical advantage , distance , and gravity , with many teachers turning the experiment into a long distance challenge . The stored potential energy in the spring of the mousetrap ’ s snapper arm transforms into the kinetic energy that propels a car that you will make . But to create your own rodent roadster , you ’ ll need the right materials , an understanding of a few physical principles , and a little effort .

MATERIALS REQUIRED
• 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
• Ruler or straight edge
• Utility knife • Pliers
PROCEDURE
1 . Have an adult help you use a utility knife to cut four wheels out of a piece of foam board or corrugated cardboard . Make the back wheels about double the diameter of the front wheels . ( Use a compass to draw the circles , or trace around a bowl or cup .)
2 . Give your wheels some traction by stretching large rubber bands around each wheel . For the small wheels you could also try using a section of a balloon .
3 . If there are metal or plastic teeth on the mousetrap , remove them carefully using a pair of pliers . Also remove the rod that is used to set the trap .
4 . Start building the base , or chassis , of the car by cutting a piece of strong cardboard so that it is slightly bigger ( about 1 / 2 ”) than the mousetrap on every side . Use duct tape to attach the mousetrap to the base . Don ’ t cover up the spring in the middle of the trap or the “ snapper arm .”
5 . Screw the eye hooks onto the bottom of the cardboard chassis , one in each corner . Use a ruler to make sure that the eye hooks are aligned with each other .
WINSPIRE : Empowering youth | February , 2017