2nd Quarter Project: Mousetrap Race Car
In order to tie together the concepts of motion, velocity, acceleration, force, Newton’s Laws, and energy, our 2nd
Quarter project will require you to construct a working vehicle that is powered by two mouse traps. The
materials needed for this car are simple & easy to find, and the construction & design of the car is limited only by
your imagination.
Basic Components of a Mousetrap Vehicle:






Body
2 Mousetraps
String
Pull Rod (Dowel)
Wheels (at least 3)
Axles
You can add any other things you wish in order to
improve your car.
Materials cannot be prefabricated (store-bought)
except for the mouse trap, wheels, and items such
as string, screws, nails, rubber bands, etc.
1.
2.
3.
4.
So…NO MOUSETRAP CAR KITS!!
5.
Attach mouse traps to the car body.
Attach a small dowel to the mouse trap.
Tie a string to the end of the dowel.
Pull the trap back and wind the string around the axle
of the car.
Release the mouse trap & the string will spin the axle
and move the car.
The use of 2 mousetraps is REQUIRED for this vehicle!
HOW WILL I BE GRADED?
I.
[50% of Grade] Final displacement: Your highest displacement out of 3 runs will be used. Your vehicle
MUST REACH A DISTANCE BETWEEN 4-7 METERS TO SCORE A GRADE > D.
NOTE: 4-7 METERS IS THE MINIMUM DISTANCE for a C.
Any distance less will earn you a 63%!
(Assuming you completed everything else with maximum points)
II.
[25% of Grade] Schematic: You must sketch a schematic, or blueprint, that shows your vehicle.
a.
b.





III.
The schematic should have a side view AND a top-down view (shown above)
The following components should be labeled on your schematic:
Mousetraps
Wheels (list what you used)
Pull String (list the type of string used)
Pull Rod
Vehicle Body (describe what the body is made of)
[25% of Grade] Project Completion
a. (1 pt) Is your car turned in on the due date?
b. (1 pt) Is your car fully functioning without ANY work needed prior to testing?
Project is worth 100 Exam Grade Points.
Tips & Hints
 Wheels can be almost any cylindrical object: CD’s, DVD’s, bottle caps, wheels from old toys, etc.
 The axle should be able to rotate freely without wobbling.
 The length of the dowel will have an effect on the distance your car travels.
 The size of your wheels will have an effect on the distance your car travels.
 Your wheels will need to have enough traction in order to move! Traction is the friction between
the wheel and the floor/ground. If there is not enough traction, the wheels will sit and spin.
 Remember that the laws of motion affect your car…Newton’s 2nd Law especially.
 TEST YOUR CAR MULTIPLE TIMES!
Final version of vehicle is due on ________________________