Name _____________________________________
Date Assigned _______________________________
Pd __________________
Date MTC due at school ___________________
Mouse Trap Car Project Directions
Objective: The student will investigate the relationship between force and motion in a Mouse Trap Car.
The student will investigate and describe changes in position, direction, and speed of the Mouse Trap
Car when acted on by unbalanced forces. The student will measure and calculate average speed using
distance and time measurements. Student will graph results and write a thoughtful analysis.
State Standards for Unit 7:
(8) Force, motion, and energy. The student knows force and motion are related to potential and kinetic
energy. The student is expected to:
(A) compare and contrast potential and kinetic energy;
(B) identify and describe the changes in position, direction, and speed of an object when acted
upon by unbalanced forces;
(C) calculate average speed using distance and time measurements;
(D) measure and graph changes in motion;
There will be 2 grades:
Part 1, 2, 3:
Designing, Building, Racing, Recording Data, Graphing
Part 4:
Analysis, and Conclusion Paper for MTC
Lab Grade
Project/Test Grade
Teacher Grading Rubric Parts 1, 2, and 3
Part 1: Material List, Design, Build, Draw, Label
Part 2: Racing MTC, Measuring, Recording Data, Calculations
Part 3: Graphing
Points
Possible
35
10
5
5
Expectation
Student builds Mousetrap Car (MTC) at home and brings to school by due date
Student’s MTC is able to move/ the car is self-propelled by the string and spring
Student creates a Materials List based on the materials they chose
Student draws final design with care and detail
Student labels the parts included in their final design drawing
Student measures and records on the data table the distance and the time travelled by MTC
Student correctly calculates the speed using the formula. MUST SHOW WORK/MUST USE UNITS
average speed = (final distance - initial distance)/ (final time – initial time)
5
10
Student graphs the average speed data for each Trial
10
Effort, creativity, attention to detail, and professionalism during lab.
10
Total
10
100
Points
Earned
Name _____________________________________
Date Assigned _______________________________
Pd __________________
Date MTC due at school ___________________
Get Started: Mouse Trap Car Project Parts 1 and 2
Part 1. Design and Build your Mouse Trap Car
To be completed at home and brought to school by ___________________________
 Parents may help as much or little as desired by the student
 You may not create your mousetrap car from a mousetrap car kit of any type. No
premade cars/vehicles will be permitted.
 Use found and recycled materials, try to buy as few new materials as possible
 See the following pages to view design instructions
 Do not feel limited by the included instructions, students may substitute different
materials or make basic changes to the design
- Wheels- CDs or DVDs, tires from a toy, bottle caps with holes, spools, clay,
buttons, any circular object, use rubber bands around wheels to gain traction
- Frame- milk carton, Styrofoam, cardboard, poster board, small box
- Axels- pencils, coat hanger wire, dowel rod, white tube from a bic pen, drinking
straw
- Wheel attachments- drinking straws, rubber band, washers, strips of balloon,
water bottle tops
Secondary Resources:
 Mousetrap Racers by Alden J. Balmer
 How to Build a Better Mousetrap Car- and other experimental fun by Al G. Renner
 http://www.instructables.com/id/Mouse-Trap-car/?ALLSTEPS
 http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Mousetrap-Car (video at bottom of page)
 Many more resources available on the Internet
Part 2. Mouse Trap Races- To be completed at school
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Students will measure the distance travelled by their Mouse Trap Racer and the time it
takes to travel that distance in order to find the speed of their Mouse Trap Car
Speed = distance/ time
Students will compete for the fastest Mouse Trap Car Design
Each student will have two attempts to achieve their fastest speed
CAUTION!!!
Students should work with adult supervision only.
Mousetraps snap closed with great force! Watch your fingers at all times!!
Name _____________________________________
Date Assigned _______________________________
Pd __________________
Date MTC due at school ___________________
Mouse Trap Car Building Basics
The easiest way to get started is to build a basic car first, and then
figure out how to attach the Mousetrap to the car later. Just make sure
your base is large enough to hold the Mousetrap between the axles.
Choose a strong, non-flexible base material such as a board or box.
The axles (at least on one side) need to show through the car and be
visible from the top side of the MTC. The reason the axle must be
reachable from the topside of the vehicle is because the car is propelled
by a string attached to, and then wound around, the axle. When the
Mousetrap arm snaps, it will tug the string, which will unwind around
the axle and propel the car!! If your base blocks the axle, you won’t be
able to get the string around it!
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Basic Car
2 Small Dowel (1/8”)
Mouse Trap
String
1. Attach a mouse trap to the basic car.
2. Attach a 1/8” dowel to the mouse trap.
3. Tie a string to the end of the dowel.
4. Pull the trap back and wind the string
around the axle of the car.
5. Release the mouse trap, and the string
will spin the axle.
1
Name _____________________________________
Date Assigned _______________________________
3
2
Pd __________________
Date MTC due at school ___________________
4
5
7
6
Name _____________________________________
Date Assigned _______________________________
Pd __________________
Date MTC due at school ___________________
8