Ideas-InspireScience Fans Embrace the Challenge of Cool DIY Projects
Mousetrap Cars
Latest version of the Quicky Mousetrap using foam block chassis for a summer class entitledldquoEngineering Through Modelsrdquo
Introduction
Like 15 Tweet Share 56
Almost everything I know about mousetrap cars I can credit to reading this book from Doc Fizzixrsquos Ihighly recommend purchasing this book and also a mousetrap car kit from Doc Fizzixrsquos Aer buildinga good kit car designing your own will be much easier
Doc Fizzixrsquos Basic Mousetrap Car
Aer building a couple of Doc Fizzixrsquos mousetrap car kits I designed several of my own cars although itwas basically two dierent major designs and then small variations The latest mousetrap car uses afoam block for a chassis coat hanger wire for axles and CD wheels This design works well but it wasdesigned mainly to be inexpensive The Doc Fizzixrsquos mousetrap cars use more expensive materialssuch as brass axles and lever arm which is better
In redesigning this mousetrap car webpage I wanted to introduce more of the educational physicsaspect to mousetrap cars My discussion is by no means completely comprehensive and that is why Isuggest purchasing the Doc Fizzixrsquos mousetrap car book
Phase II in My Website Articles
Balsa version of Quicky Mousetrap Car from
summer class a few years ago
Teachers built Quicky Mousetrap Car at
aer school conference
During the first few years of working with my science related project ideas it was mainly about justgetting the students to successfully build and operate the projects Through workshops I have taughta fairly large number of mousetrap cars of my design have been built I have learned much from thisand have tried to improve on some aspects of my design These mousetrap cars have also been builtwithout my help in all parts of the globe
It is my plan to expand on this and introduce even greater educational aspects that go along with theprojects This will be primarily in the area of physics and math applications I will try to present this ina fun an easy to understand manner In looking at the labs schools are doing with mousetrap cars itappears to be related with recording total distance andor computing the acceleration during the runA background in force and motion will be helpful which will include a discussion of Newtonrsquos Laws
How Does the mousetrap car work
How the mousetrap car functions might appear very simple to people somewhat mechanicallyinclined but many people who see one of my mousetrap cars oen ask ldquohow does this workrdquo Themousetrap car is propelled by the torsional elastic energy from the wound spring of the mousetrapmoving a lever that pulls a string that is wrapped around one axle of the mousetrap car As the leverpulls the string the axle turns as the string unwinds until all the string has been pulled through atwhich point the end of the string that was wrapped around the axle should release and the mousetrapcar should coast for a distance because of kinetic energy until friction causes it to stop
Victor brand of mousetrap on the right is most oen
used in mousetrap cars
Side view diagram of the spring with
lever arm attached
The lever arm which is attached to the mousetrap spring moves through a half circle which 180degrees The torque (amount of twisting force) decreases proportionally as measured farther outfrom the spring along the lever arm
When the lever arm is pulled all the way back the torque will be the greatest That is good because thecar needs the extra force as it starts to move to overcome the opposing force of inertia (Newtonrsquos FirstLaw) This is potential energy with the lever arm pulled back as the mousetrap car moves thisconverts into kinetic energy The force from the wound spring will decrease as the lever movestowards the opposite position from the start
Physics Concepts
Hopefully you have identified that there are many physics concepts in this seemly simple model carLet us outline some concepts that should be studied to understand the operation of the mousetrap
car
Simple machines ndash lever ndash wheel and axle this relates to mechanical advantage
Simple Machine ndash The Lever
Simple Machine ndash Wheel amp Axle
Mechanical advantage is the ratio of output force to input force which is a tradeo between distancemoved and the amount of force Move farther out on input side of the lever and output side movesshorter distance but with more force With the mechanical advantage working in the oppositedirection moving a short distance with more force results in less force in the output but moving a
larger distance In the mousetrap car drive axle the small circumference spun by the string wrappedaround it for a relatively short length propels the much larger drive wheels a much greater distancebut with small amount of force This is why the car must roll with little friction
In the mousetrap car the lever (lever arm) is connected to wheel and axle through a thin line
Newtonrsquos Three Laws of Motion
First Law ndash object at rest will remain at restunless acted on by an unbalanced force Anobject in motion continues in motion with thesame speed and in the same direction unlessacted upon by an unbalanced force Law ofInertia
Second Law ndash states that force is proportionalto acceleration but acceleration is inverselyproportional to mass The formula Force = Massx Acceleration relates to this law and the unit offorce is the Newton
Third Law ndash For every action there is an equaland opposite reaction
Relate This to a Mousetrap Car
First Law ndash mousetrap car is at rest it needs an unbalanced force to start moving any idea where thisforce comes from If there were no friction it would continue to move in the same direction but thefriction is an unbalanced force can you think of sources friction in the mousetrap car
Second Law ndash the force is proportional to acceleration thinking about the formula for torque a _____lever arm would give faster acceleration Acceleration is inversely proportional to the mass Thismeans the heavier the mousetrap car is the acceleration would be ______
Third Law ndash for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction in the mousetrap car the wheelspush down on the floor and the floor pushes up on the _________
Relate This to Real World Example
Check out my blog post Newtonrsquos Laws and the Hybrid Car
Terminology Acceleration ndash most of the mousetrap car lab exercises I have seen deal with total distance andmeasuring acceleration
Acceleration = rate of change in velocity
Velocity = rate an object changes position (vector quantity)
Force = Mass x Acceleration
Note Speed and Velocity are not the same
Speed = rate that an object covers a distance (scalar quantity) Average Speed is just distance dividedby time think miles per hour
The faster the car is accelerating the larger the force but the larger the mass the larger the resistancewill be to the acceleration Think of how a large truck or a train is slower accelerating than anautomobile
Work ndash Power ndash Energy
Work is done when a force acting on an object causes a displacement of the object (it moves)
Power the rate which work is done Power = Work Time standard metric unit of power is the watt Fora long distance mousetrap Low Power is desirable work should be done over long period of time
Energy standard definition is ldquothe ability to do workrdquo this might not be too helpful There are severalforms of energy and oen one form of energy can be converted to another In the mousetrap car thepotential energy in the wound spring (elastic energy) moves the mousetrap car converting to kineticenergy
Constructing the Mousetrap Car
Understanding the physics of the mousetrap car should help in designing a more eicient operatingmousetrap car In building the mousetrap car you need to understand the basic components needed
Chassis ndash frame of the car to which the other components attach to For the mousetrap car it shouldbe rigid yet lightweight The first car I built I used a framework of bamboo which required additionalbracing as the tension of the mousetrap pulling on the string across the length of the chassis wascausing it to twist The next generation of mousetrap cars was built from balsa wood and the currentgeneration use a chassis made from a foam block
In the first prototypes of the bamboo mousetrap
car I noticed that the chassis was twisting from
the force of the lever arm pulling on the rear
axle
Bracing was added to stien the chassis
which solved the problem When the
chassis twisted it caused the car to turn
one direction
Hub ndash this the center of the wheel which attaches to the axle The hub should hold the axle in theexact center of the wheel and the sides of the hub should be exactly 90 degrees to the axle otherwisethe wheel will wobble
I made hubs from cutting squares from rubber tarp
straps and drilling hole through the center
Square hub is glued so as to cover
the hole
Faucet washers can fit in the hole of CDrsquos but I
found the ones purchased through Doc Fizzixrsquos fit
tighter
Faucet washers on Doc Fizzixrsquos
mousetrap car
DOC FIZZIX1728 CDDVD
Shop now
Axle ndash sha is attached to the wheels though the hubs it should be straight as possible or the wheelswill wobble In the mousetrap car one axle acts like a pulley as the string is wrapped around it Thediameter of axle in relation to the diameter of the driving wheels is the mechanical advantage
Wheel ndash mousetrap car rolls on wheels this is the geometric shape of a circle This means you shouldunderstand terms such as diameter circumference radius pi rolling resistance and rotationalinertia I have used CDrsquos clear layers and cottage cheese lids for wheels
Large Wheels ndash using really large diameterdrive wheels gives even larger mechanicaladvantage for greater distance
Bearing ndash this is the contactpoint between the turning axleand the attachment to thechassis the less friction in thebearings the more eicient themousetrap car With too muchfriction in the bearings themousetrap the mousetrapmight not even move or stoprepeatedly
Lever Arm
The lever arm extends from the mousetrapspring as a lever to pull the string Threemajor considerations for the lever arm
Material it should be very sti but light inweight Attaching to the mousetrap spring thereis a great deal of force where the lever armis attached to the spring The length of the lever arm is importantthe longer the arm the more line can bepulled through and mousetrap car shouldgo farther
The lever arm on this car is made from a square stock of a hard wood originally I started withbalsa with a T-joint but students were breaking the balsa Aer handling delicate balsa structures inmodel airplanes it was not a problem for me
Torque and Lever Arm Calculations for a Mousetrap Car
Torque has been defined either as a twisting force or the tendency to rotate around an axis Acommon example of torque is tightening a bolt with a wrench To know how much torque is beingapplied to a bolt a mechanics will oen use a special type of wrench known as a ldquotorque wrenchrdquo so aspecified amount of torque can be applied to a bolt
The formula for torque is very simple if the force is applied perpendicular to the lever Torque =radius x force Normally units of torque are foot pounds or newton meters This equation gives thetorque applied to the pivot point this is the mechanical advantage concept
I have been thinking more about how math could be used to predict an outcome To start with amousetrap car if you could calculate what force is available at the end of the lever arm based on thetorque at the axis it would give you some idea on how much force is available to propel the mousetrapcar It is also interesting to see how the force decreases as the spring unwinds
For a mousetrap car that will go a long distance the lever arm needs to be longer to pull more line thatis wrapped around the driving axle From these calculations it can be easily seen that the amount offorce available rapidly diminishes as the length of the lever arm increases
To me it is also interesting if you can measure calculated outcomes and think about the reasons forinaccuracies For this experiment inaccuracy was related to the spring scale I was using and how I wasusing it Doc Fizzix sells a torsion wheel to measure the torque of the mousetrap spring Link toTorsion Wheel product
For my experiment I measured the force in grams at 4 centimeters from the axis at 25 90 and 180degrees I then measured at 28 centimeters from the axis and then calculated what the force shouldbe based on the measurements at 4 centimeters Measurements were also taken at 28 centimeters soa comparison could be done between the calculated and the measured Fairly close results
GFCM is the torque dividing by the radius gives the force Example 1600 28 = 5714 3200 28 =11429 and 4400 28 = 15714
Above are the comparisons of the measurements and the calculations which appear in red
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 25 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 90 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 180 Degrees
The concept of torque is also important in flight like in this quadcopter checkout my article Basic Quadcopters
Notes on Units
Many times formulas are based on units other than those you have collected your data with Myspring scale does display Newtons also but grams are a much smaller unit which helps in taking moreaccurate measurement
For Example to Compute the Potential Energy of Torsional Spring conversion to Newtons metersand radians are needed
1 gram = 0098 Newtons
Radians = (degrees π) 180
1 centimeter = 01 meters
1 joule = force of 1 Newton through a distance of 1 meter
Blog Article 10-10-2017 Mousetrap Car Demonstration at Nursing Home
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$1595
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Shop now
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60 thoughts on ldquoMousetrap Carsrdquo
56
adidas f50adizeromessi
Your work is quite good
April 29 2014 at 232 pm
Anonymous
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January 20 2015 at 1141 am
Jam2033
It was pretty good
May 4 2017 at 111 am
Anonymous
Excellent source of student language information Great project for my 5th gradestudents Excellent job
May 12 2014 at 930 am
DFB trikot2014
Awsome site I am loving it Will come back again I am taking your feeds also
May 30 2014 at 509 pm
snazzynazzy
I LOVE THIS WEBSITE I USED IT FOR MY PRIMARY CLASSES
August 14 2014 at 856 pm
Wolf
What is a primary class -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 457 pm
Wolf
Thanks for this info sadly for our project we canrsquot use kits But what do yourecommend for the axles I have been having trouble with them -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 456 pm
Bill Kuhl
If you look at my design for mousetrap car I used coat hanger wire try to findstraight sections Better kits use brass tubing Then you need a hub on mydesign I cut sections of rubber tarp strap and drilled a hole in it For bearing Iused the metal screw eyes
September 11 2014 at 509 pm
hi
very goo I got our mouse trap car idea from this website thanks mr miller these aregreat ideas
September 18 2014 at 344 pm
Anonymous
this is so awesome broski
October 16 2014 at 242 pm
Anonymous
this website is so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
allie
so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
liv
Soooooooo helpfullllll Actually it really showed me what I could do for my own
March 30 2015 at 1240 pm
Anonymous
Thanks for creating this This is pretty Helpful
January 13 2015 at 252 pm
Anonymous
Its helpful because even when ur building one in science
January 14 2015 at 1012 am
Nobody
SO AWESOME
March 6 2015 at 1055 am
Anonymous
thats really cool i like it great job
March 30 2015 at 943 am
Damian
that is really cool
March 30 2015 at 948 am
Anonymous
great i love it
May 8 2015 at 1111 am
Bod
l love it so much i mad 24 cars i love the experiences it is life changing
May 8 2015 at 1113 am
May 11 2015 at 909 am
Anonymous
cool
Jenna
Excuse me I love your work but could you please tell me when you published thisarticle Thank you
August 31 2015 at 500 pm
Bill Kuhl
This webpage on mousetrap cars was redone last year I had a somewhat dierentwebpage for several years
August 31 2015 at 923 pm
Crush
How do you true the wheels axels and attach-point on the chassis Despite all myeorts the wheels and chassis still have wobble to them and the car doesnrsquot drivein a straight line I found it very diicult to get everything centered and aligned onall axis
October 13 2015 at 1145 pm
Bill Kuhl
Crush that was a good question Wheel wobble has to to do with how straight andsolid the hub axle joint is You need to make sure the wheel to the axle isperpendicular that is like a ldquoTrdquo The axle alignment with the chassis of the car hasto be that way also Some method of adjusting the steering and then setting it maybe desirable On my design I used the screw eyes in a way small adjustments couldbe done on the tracking Some Doc Fizzix cars pivot the front axle and then allowyou to tighten it down
October 14 2015 at 811 am
very helpful got an A on my project and im in 7th grade
October 19 2015 at 156 pm
a 7th gradernamedjacob
Bill Kuhl
Thank you Jacob in 7th grade it makes my eort seem worthwhile
October 19 2015 at 223 pm
Michel
Over-tightening could be in the same way harmful because under-tighteningExamples include motors as well as equipment assemblies
November 15 2015 at 207 am
KilenTora
This was a great help for me in science or I probably would of failed science Verydescriptive and easy to understand as well Thank you
January 4 2016 at 945 pm
JeerySmogelton
This is the best website I have ever seen OMG
February 1 2016 at 1032 am
Bill Kuhl
Mousetrap McGee somehow I doubt you are building a mousetrap car every 4hours but I canrsquot stop laughing reading your comment
February 12 2016 at 823 am
Do yuo doubt me I got over 700 hundred and countingg I typing with onehand becuase Irsquom making mousetrap cars with the other Irsquom beginnning to
March 4 2016 at 814 am
MousetrapMcGee
think I hava problem Please help me bill your my only hope 0
Halal
i like your thinking
-wolf
April 11 2016 at 610 pm
MousetrapMcGee
I used to not know how to make a mousetrap car This article has changes my lifeNow I make a mousetrap car every 4 hours This article has brought meaning to mylife Great Googly Moogly I never realized how awe-inspiring mousetrap cars canbe Golly Josh Darn it why didnrsquot I find this page before Now my warehouse hasapproximately 352 mousetrap cars and counting 0
February 12 2016 at 813 am
Ken M
These mousetrap cars have ruined my life I worked with my son to make one andhe proceeded to show his friends Now the whole neighborhood is littered withthese things I have gotten several complaints and even threatened with a lawsuitfrom my neighbors for harassment and assault from the injuries inquired from themouse trap Every morning I wake and slip on a mousetrap car down the stairs Ihave been to the hospital three times and my wife threatens to leave me Lastweekend a mousetrap car took my job and I am on the verge of losing my homeWhy hasnrsquot Obama stepped in to clean this mess up The federal government failsitrsquos citizens once again
March 9 2016 at 1050 am
Fat Fart
Yoursquore a legend
April 4 2016 at 1053 am
September 21 2017 at 1059 am
NoybNoybie
im screaming is this real
Alex
Irsquom planning to use this idea for a summer camp If I have the kids from 9am to4pm is this a 1 day project Or multi-days
March 19 2016 at 925 am
Bill Kuhl
I have been doing it within one 1 12 hour class This didnrsquot give much time torun the cars
March 19 2016 at 319 pm
me
this is good
March 31 2016 at 812 am
a person
this site was helpful
April 20 2016 at 731 am
Anonymous
legendary
April 22 2016 at 1112 am
May 3 2016 at 1230 pm
oicial_lover_of_mousetrap_cars
I made 500000 mousetrap cars and counting I have been making them since lastyear and I absolutely love them I have caught around 100000 mice from my houseand garage in total
hunter
100000 you say Seems quite excessive donrsquot you think
September 7 2017 at 1117 am
Eliza
May 10 2016 at 1227 pm
Cammie
Thatrsquos not just logic Thatrsquos really senbesli
July 17 2016 at 935 pm
Anonymous
very helpful thanks
July 20 2016 at 802 pm
Gerald
very helpful thank you for your help
July 20 2016 at 803 pm
Sarah
Thank you I am trying to reference this site can you tell me the date this page wascreated
August 25 2016 at 745 pm
Bill Kuhl
From the editor I see Published on Dec 13 2013 1136
Bill Kuhl
August 26 2016 at 1237 pm
Pingback 31Aug ndash Term1 Day18 ndash cvintroengcar
Anonomus
Realy helpful best site there is 3
October 24 2016 at 744 am
A BoardIndividual
The only truly good website for mousetrap cars there is good for science fairprojects 3
December 20 2016 at 650 am
Anonymous
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 339 pm
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 341 pm
minimuinninja
Lyn
Good article
June 8 2017 at 1248 pm
Mico
Hello there Maybe you could help me solve a problem on mousetrap car Do youhave any idea on how to turn the wheel of a mousetrap car The problem is weneed to avoid an obstacle 1 meter away and should get back to the line of distancefrom where my car starts The longest distance the car traveled from the obstacle isthe winner The vehicle must start from behind a start-line and then clear anobstacle as it travels the longest possible distance in the longitudinal directionfrom the start line The device must come to a rest as close as possible to a pointdirectly inline from its start location (ie minimise the transverse distance)
August 21 2017 at 404 am
Bill Kuhl
There was a rubber powered event that had to go around an obstacle but youcould make the steering adjustable to a fixed setting and then curve around theobstacle As far as stopping at a certain point there is a Doc Fizzix car like thatwhich uses a threaded rod and a wingnut One side of the wingnut goes in achannel You adjust where wingnut starts and when it gets to one side it stopsthe car
August 21 2017 at 940 am
Mamcee
-This Is Epic I Got Everything I Needed hellip THANK Yu
September 16 2017 at 1129 am
Almost everything I know about mousetrap cars I can credit to reading this book from Doc Fizzixrsquos Ihighly recommend purchasing this book and also a mousetrap car kit from Doc Fizzixrsquos Aer buildinga good kit car designing your own will be much easier
Doc Fizzixrsquos Basic Mousetrap Car
Aer building a couple of Doc Fizzixrsquos mousetrap car kits I designed several of my own cars although itwas basically two dierent major designs and then small variations The latest mousetrap car uses afoam block for a chassis coat hanger wire for axles and CD wheels This design works well but it wasdesigned mainly to be inexpensive The Doc Fizzixrsquos mousetrap cars use more expensive materialssuch as brass axles and lever arm which is better
In redesigning this mousetrap car webpage I wanted to introduce more of the educational physicsaspect to mousetrap cars My discussion is by no means completely comprehensive and that is why Isuggest purchasing the Doc Fizzixrsquos mousetrap car book
Phase II in My Website Articles
Balsa version of Quicky Mousetrap Car from
summer class a few years ago
Teachers built Quicky Mousetrap Car at
aer school conference
During the first few years of working with my science related project ideas it was mainly about justgetting the students to successfully build and operate the projects Through workshops I have taughta fairly large number of mousetrap cars of my design have been built I have learned much from thisand have tried to improve on some aspects of my design These mousetrap cars have also been builtwithout my help in all parts of the globe
It is my plan to expand on this and introduce even greater educational aspects that go along with theprojects This will be primarily in the area of physics and math applications I will try to present this ina fun an easy to understand manner In looking at the labs schools are doing with mousetrap cars itappears to be related with recording total distance andor computing the acceleration during the runA background in force and motion will be helpful which will include a discussion of Newtonrsquos Laws
How Does the mousetrap car work
How the mousetrap car functions might appear very simple to people somewhat mechanicallyinclined but many people who see one of my mousetrap cars oen ask ldquohow does this workrdquo Themousetrap car is propelled by the torsional elastic energy from the wound spring of the mousetrapmoving a lever that pulls a string that is wrapped around one axle of the mousetrap car As the leverpulls the string the axle turns as the string unwinds until all the string has been pulled through atwhich point the end of the string that was wrapped around the axle should release and the mousetrapcar should coast for a distance because of kinetic energy until friction causes it to stop
Victor brand of mousetrap on the right is most oen
used in mousetrap cars
Side view diagram of the spring with
lever arm attached
The lever arm which is attached to the mousetrap spring moves through a half circle which 180degrees The torque (amount of twisting force) decreases proportionally as measured farther outfrom the spring along the lever arm
When the lever arm is pulled all the way back the torque will be the greatest That is good because thecar needs the extra force as it starts to move to overcome the opposing force of inertia (Newtonrsquos FirstLaw) This is potential energy with the lever arm pulled back as the mousetrap car moves thisconverts into kinetic energy The force from the wound spring will decrease as the lever movestowards the opposite position from the start
Physics Concepts
Hopefully you have identified that there are many physics concepts in this seemly simple model carLet us outline some concepts that should be studied to understand the operation of the mousetrap
car
Simple machines ndash lever ndash wheel and axle this relates to mechanical advantage
Simple Machine ndash The Lever
Simple Machine ndash Wheel amp Axle
Mechanical advantage is the ratio of output force to input force which is a tradeo between distancemoved and the amount of force Move farther out on input side of the lever and output side movesshorter distance but with more force With the mechanical advantage working in the oppositedirection moving a short distance with more force results in less force in the output but moving a
larger distance In the mousetrap car drive axle the small circumference spun by the string wrappedaround it for a relatively short length propels the much larger drive wheels a much greater distancebut with small amount of force This is why the car must roll with little friction
In the mousetrap car the lever (lever arm) is connected to wheel and axle through a thin line
Newtonrsquos Three Laws of Motion
First Law ndash object at rest will remain at restunless acted on by an unbalanced force Anobject in motion continues in motion with thesame speed and in the same direction unlessacted upon by an unbalanced force Law ofInertia
Second Law ndash states that force is proportionalto acceleration but acceleration is inverselyproportional to mass The formula Force = Massx Acceleration relates to this law and the unit offorce is the Newton
Third Law ndash For every action there is an equaland opposite reaction
Relate This to a Mousetrap Car
First Law ndash mousetrap car is at rest it needs an unbalanced force to start moving any idea where thisforce comes from If there were no friction it would continue to move in the same direction but thefriction is an unbalanced force can you think of sources friction in the mousetrap car
Second Law ndash the force is proportional to acceleration thinking about the formula for torque a _____lever arm would give faster acceleration Acceleration is inversely proportional to the mass Thismeans the heavier the mousetrap car is the acceleration would be ______
Third Law ndash for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction in the mousetrap car the wheelspush down on the floor and the floor pushes up on the _________
Relate This to Real World Example
Check out my blog post Newtonrsquos Laws and the Hybrid Car
Terminology Acceleration ndash most of the mousetrap car lab exercises I have seen deal with total distance andmeasuring acceleration
Acceleration = rate of change in velocity
Velocity = rate an object changes position (vector quantity)
Force = Mass x Acceleration
Note Speed and Velocity are not the same
Speed = rate that an object covers a distance (scalar quantity) Average Speed is just distance dividedby time think miles per hour
The faster the car is accelerating the larger the force but the larger the mass the larger the resistancewill be to the acceleration Think of how a large truck or a train is slower accelerating than anautomobile
Work ndash Power ndash Energy
Work is done when a force acting on an object causes a displacement of the object (it moves)
Power the rate which work is done Power = Work Time standard metric unit of power is the watt Fora long distance mousetrap Low Power is desirable work should be done over long period of time
Energy standard definition is ldquothe ability to do workrdquo this might not be too helpful There are severalforms of energy and oen one form of energy can be converted to another In the mousetrap car thepotential energy in the wound spring (elastic energy) moves the mousetrap car converting to kineticenergy
Constructing the Mousetrap Car
Understanding the physics of the mousetrap car should help in designing a more eicient operatingmousetrap car In building the mousetrap car you need to understand the basic components needed
Chassis ndash frame of the car to which the other components attach to For the mousetrap car it shouldbe rigid yet lightweight The first car I built I used a framework of bamboo which required additionalbracing as the tension of the mousetrap pulling on the string across the length of the chassis wascausing it to twist The next generation of mousetrap cars was built from balsa wood and the currentgeneration use a chassis made from a foam block
In the first prototypes of the bamboo mousetrap
car I noticed that the chassis was twisting from
the force of the lever arm pulling on the rear
axle
Bracing was added to stien the chassis
which solved the problem When the
chassis twisted it caused the car to turn
one direction
Hub ndash this the center of the wheel which attaches to the axle The hub should hold the axle in theexact center of the wheel and the sides of the hub should be exactly 90 degrees to the axle otherwisethe wheel will wobble
I made hubs from cutting squares from rubber tarp
straps and drilling hole through the center
Square hub is glued so as to cover
the hole
Faucet washers can fit in the hole of CDrsquos but I
found the ones purchased through Doc Fizzixrsquos fit
tighter
Faucet washers on Doc Fizzixrsquos
mousetrap car
DOC FIZZIX1728 CDDVD
Shop now
Axle ndash sha is attached to the wheels though the hubs it should be straight as possible or the wheelswill wobble In the mousetrap car one axle acts like a pulley as the string is wrapped around it Thediameter of axle in relation to the diameter of the driving wheels is the mechanical advantage
Wheel ndash mousetrap car rolls on wheels this is the geometric shape of a circle This means you shouldunderstand terms such as diameter circumference radius pi rolling resistance and rotationalinertia I have used CDrsquos clear layers and cottage cheese lids for wheels
Large Wheels ndash using really large diameterdrive wheels gives even larger mechanicaladvantage for greater distance
Bearing ndash this is the contactpoint between the turning axleand the attachment to thechassis the less friction in thebearings the more eicient themousetrap car With too muchfriction in the bearings themousetrap the mousetrapmight not even move or stoprepeatedly
Lever Arm
The lever arm extends from the mousetrapspring as a lever to pull the string Threemajor considerations for the lever arm
Material it should be very sti but light inweight Attaching to the mousetrap spring thereis a great deal of force where the lever armis attached to the spring The length of the lever arm is importantthe longer the arm the more line can bepulled through and mousetrap car shouldgo farther
The lever arm on this car is made from a square stock of a hard wood originally I started withbalsa with a T-joint but students were breaking the balsa Aer handling delicate balsa structures inmodel airplanes it was not a problem for me
Torque and Lever Arm Calculations for a Mousetrap Car
Torque has been defined either as a twisting force or the tendency to rotate around an axis Acommon example of torque is tightening a bolt with a wrench To know how much torque is beingapplied to a bolt a mechanics will oen use a special type of wrench known as a ldquotorque wrenchrdquo so aspecified amount of torque can be applied to a bolt
The formula for torque is very simple if the force is applied perpendicular to the lever Torque =radius x force Normally units of torque are foot pounds or newton meters This equation gives thetorque applied to the pivot point this is the mechanical advantage concept
I have been thinking more about how math could be used to predict an outcome To start with amousetrap car if you could calculate what force is available at the end of the lever arm based on thetorque at the axis it would give you some idea on how much force is available to propel the mousetrapcar It is also interesting to see how the force decreases as the spring unwinds
For a mousetrap car that will go a long distance the lever arm needs to be longer to pull more line thatis wrapped around the driving axle From these calculations it can be easily seen that the amount offorce available rapidly diminishes as the length of the lever arm increases
To me it is also interesting if you can measure calculated outcomes and think about the reasons forinaccuracies For this experiment inaccuracy was related to the spring scale I was using and how I wasusing it Doc Fizzix sells a torsion wheel to measure the torque of the mousetrap spring Link toTorsion Wheel product
For my experiment I measured the force in grams at 4 centimeters from the axis at 25 90 and 180degrees I then measured at 28 centimeters from the axis and then calculated what the force shouldbe based on the measurements at 4 centimeters Measurements were also taken at 28 centimeters soa comparison could be done between the calculated and the measured Fairly close results
GFCM is the torque dividing by the radius gives the force Example 1600 28 = 5714 3200 28 =11429 and 4400 28 = 15714
Above are the comparisons of the measurements and the calculations which appear in red
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 25 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 90 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 180 Degrees
The concept of torque is also important in flight like in this quadcopter checkout my article Basic Quadcopters
Notes on Units
Many times formulas are based on units other than those you have collected your data with Myspring scale does display Newtons also but grams are a much smaller unit which helps in taking moreaccurate measurement
For Example to Compute the Potential Energy of Torsional Spring conversion to Newtons metersand radians are needed
1 gram = 0098 Newtons
Radians = (degrees π) 180
1 centimeter = 01 meters
1 joule = force of 1 Newton through a distance of 1 meter
Blog Article 10-10-2017 Mousetrap Car Demonstration at Nursing Home
Doc Fizzix Mousetrap Car Kits
$1595
The EnforcerRubber Band
Shop now
$1595
Basic MousetrapCar Kit by
Shop now
$895
Little MoeMousetrap Car
Shop now
60 thoughts on ldquoMousetrap Carsrdquo
56
adidas f50adizeromessi
Your work is quite good
April 29 2014 at 232 pm
Anonymous
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssssssss
January 20 2015 at 1141 am
Jam2033
It was pretty good
May 4 2017 at 111 am
Anonymous
Excellent source of student language information Great project for my 5th gradestudents Excellent job
May 12 2014 at 930 am
DFB trikot2014
Awsome site I am loving it Will come back again I am taking your feeds also
May 30 2014 at 509 pm
snazzynazzy
I LOVE THIS WEBSITE I USED IT FOR MY PRIMARY CLASSES
August 14 2014 at 856 pm
Wolf
What is a primary class -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 457 pm
Wolf
Thanks for this info sadly for our project we canrsquot use kits But what do yourecommend for the axles I have been having trouble with them -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 456 pm
Bill Kuhl
If you look at my design for mousetrap car I used coat hanger wire try to findstraight sections Better kits use brass tubing Then you need a hub on mydesign I cut sections of rubber tarp strap and drilled a hole in it For bearing Iused the metal screw eyes
September 11 2014 at 509 pm
hi
very goo I got our mouse trap car idea from this website thanks mr miller these aregreat ideas
September 18 2014 at 344 pm
Anonymous
this is so awesome broski
October 16 2014 at 242 pm
Anonymous
this website is so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
allie
so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
liv
Soooooooo helpfullllll Actually it really showed me what I could do for my own
March 30 2015 at 1240 pm
Anonymous
Thanks for creating this This is pretty Helpful
January 13 2015 at 252 pm
Anonymous
Its helpful because even when ur building one in science
January 14 2015 at 1012 am
Nobody
SO AWESOME
March 6 2015 at 1055 am
Anonymous
thats really cool i like it great job
March 30 2015 at 943 am
Damian
that is really cool
March 30 2015 at 948 am
Anonymous
great i love it
May 8 2015 at 1111 am
Bod
l love it so much i mad 24 cars i love the experiences it is life changing
May 8 2015 at 1113 am
May 11 2015 at 909 am
Anonymous
cool
Jenna
Excuse me I love your work but could you please tell me when you published thisarticle Thank you
August 31 2015 at 500 pm
Bill Kuhl
This webpage on mousetrap cars was redone last year I had a somewhat dierentwebpage for several years
August 31 2015 at 923 pm
Crush
How do you true the wheels axels and attach-point on the chassis Despite all myeorts the wheels and chassis still have wobble to them and the car doesnrsquot drivein a straight line I found it very diicult to get everything centered and aligned onall axis
October 13 2015 at 1145 pm
Bill Kuhl
Crush that was a good question Wheel wobble has to to do with how straight andsolid the hub axle joint is You need to make sure the wheel to the axle isperpendicular that is like a ldquoTrdquo The axle alignment with the chassis of the car hasto be that way also Some method of adjusting the steering and then setting it maybe desirable On my design I used the screw eyes in a way small adjustments couldbe done on the tracking Some Doc Fizzix cars pivot the front axle and then allowyou to tighten it down
October 14 2015 at 811 am
very helpful got an A on my project and im in 7th grade
October 19 2015 at 156 pm
a 7th gradernamedjacob
Bill Kuhl
Thank you Jacob in 7th grade it makes my eort seem worthwhile
October 19 2015 at 223 pm
Michel
Over-tightening could be in the same way harmful because under-tighteningExamples include motors as well as equipment assemblies
November 15 2015 at 207 am
KilenTora
This was a great help for me in science or I probably would of failed science Verydescriptive and easy to understand as well Thank you
January 4 2016 at 945 pm
JeerySmogelton
This is the best website I have ever seen OMG
February 1 2016 at 1032 am
Bill Kuhl
Mousetrap McGee somehow I doubt you are building a mousetrap car every 4hours but I canrsquot stop laughing reading your comment
February 12 2016 at 823 am
Do yuo doubt me I got over 700 hundred and countingg I typing with onehand becuase Irsquom making mousetrap cars with the other Irsquom beginnning to
March 4 2016 at 814 am
MousetrapMcGee
think I hava problem Please help me bill your my only hope 0
Halal
i like your thinking
-wolf
April 11 2016 at 610 pm
MousetrapMcGee
I used to not know how to make a mousetrap car This article has changes my lifeNow I make a mousetrap car every 4 hours This article has brought meaning to mylife Great Googly Moogly I never realized how awe-inspiring mousetrap cars canbe Golly Josh Darn it why didnrsquot I find this page before Now my warehouse hasapproximately 352 mousetrap cars and counting 0
February 12 2016 at 813 am
Ken M
These mousetrap cars have ruined my life I worked with my son to make one andhe proceeded to show his friends Now the whole neighborhood is littered withthese things I have gotten several complaints and even threatened with a lawsuitfrom my neighbors for harassment and assault from the injuries inquired from themouse trap Every morning I wake and slip on a mousetrap car down the stairs Ihave been to the hospital three times and my wife threatens to leave me Lastweekend a mousetrap car took my job and I am on the verge of losing my homeWhy hasnrsquot Obama stepped in to clean this mess up The federal government failsitrsquos citizens once again
March 9 2016 at 1050 am
Fat Fart
Yoursquore a legend
April 4 2016 at 1053 am
September 21 2017 at 1059 am
NoybNoybie
im screaming is this real
Alex
Irsquom planning to use this idea for a summer camp If I have the kids from 9am to4pm is this a 1 day project Or multi-days
March 19 2016 at 925 am
Bill Kuhl
I have been doing it within one 1 12 hour class This didnrsquot give much time torun the cars
March 19 2016 at 319 pm
me
this is good
March 31 2016 at 812 am
a person
this site was helpful
April 20 2016 at 731 am
Anonymous
legendary
April 22 2016 at 1112 am
May 3 2016 at 1230 pm
oicial_lover_of_mousetrap_cars
I made 500000 mousetrap cars and counting I have been making them since lastyear and I absolutely love them I have caught around 100000 mice from my houseand garage in total
hunter
100000 you say Seems quite excessive donrsquot you think
September 7 2017 at 1117 am
Eliza
May 10 2016 at 1227 pm
Cammie
Thatrsquos not just logic Thatrsquos really senbesli
July 17 2016 at 935 pm
Anonymous
very helpful thanks
July 20 2016 at 802 pm
Gerald
very helpful thank you for your help
July 20 2016 at 803 pm
Sarah
Thank you I am trying to reference this site can you tell me the date this page wascreated
August 25 2016 at 745 pm
Bill Kuhl
From the editor I see Published on Dec 13 2013 1136
Bill Kuhl
August 26 2016 at 1237 pm
Pingback 31Aug ndash Term1 Day18 ndash cvintroengcar
Anonomus
Realy helpful best site there is 3
October 24 2016 at 744 am
A BoardIndividual
The only truly good website for mousetrap cars there is good for science fairprojects 3
December 20 2016 at 650 am
Anonymous
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 339 pm
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 341 pm
minimuinninja
Lyn
Good article
June 8 2017 at 1248 pm
Mico
Hello there Maybe you could help me solve a problem on mousetrap car Do youhave any idea on how to turn the wheel of a mousetrap car The problem is weneed to avoid an obstacle 1 meter away and should get back to the line of distancefrom where my car starts The longest distance the car traveled from the obstacle isthe winner The vehicle must start from behind a start-line and then clear anobstacle as it travels the longest possible distance in the longitudinal directionfrom the start line The device must come to a rest as close as possible to a pointdirectly inline from its start location (ie minimise the transverse distance)
August 21 2017 at 404 am
Bill Kuhl
There was a rubber powered event that had to go around an obstacle but youcould make the steering adjustable to a fixed setting and then curve around theobstacle As far as stopping at a certain point there is a Doc Fizzix car like thatwhich uses a threaded rod and a wingnut One side of the wingnut goes in achannel You adjust where wingnut starts and when it gets to one side it stopsthe car
August 21 2017 at 940 am
Mamcee
-This Is Epic I Got Everything I Needed hellip THANK Yu
September 16 2017 at 1129 am
It is my plan to expand on this and introduce even greater educational aspects that go along with theprojects This will be primarily in the area of physics and math applications I will try to present this ina fun an easy to understand manner In looking at the labs schools are doing with mousetrap cars itappears to be related with recording total distance andor computing the acceleration during the runA background in force and motion will be helpful which will include a discussion of Newtonrsquos Laws
How Does the mousetrap car work
How the mousetrap car functions might appear very simple to people somewhat mechanicallyinclined but many people who see one of my mousetrap cars oen ask ldquohow does this workrdquo Themousetrap car is propelled by the torsional elastic energy from the wound spring of the mousetrapmoving a lever that pulls a string that is wrapped around one axle of the mousetrap car As the leverpulls the string the axle turns as the string unwinds until all the string has been pulled through atwhich point the end of the string that was wrapped around the axle should release and the mousetrapcar should coast for a distance because of kinetic energy until friction causes it to stop
Victor brand of mousetrap on the right is most oen
used in mousetrap cars
Side view diagram of the spring with
lever arm attached
The lever arm which is attached to the mousetrap spring moves through a half circle which 180degrees The torque (amount of twisting force) decreases proportionally as measured farther outfrom the spring along the lever arm
When the lever arm is pulled all the way back the torque will be the greatest That is good because thecar needs the extra force as it starts to move to overcome the opposing force of inertia (Newtonrsquos FirstLaw) This is potential energy with the lever arm pulled back as the mousetrap car moves thisconverts into kinetic energy The force from the wound spring will decrease as the lever movestowards the opposite position from the start
Physics Concepts
Hopefully you have identified that there are many physics concepts in this seemly simple model carLet us outline some concepts that should be studied to understand the operation of the mousetrap
car
Simple machines ndash lever ndash wheel and axle this relates to mechanical advantage
Simple Machine ndash The Lever
Simple Machine ndash Wheel amp Axle
Mechanical advantage is the ratio of output force to input force which is a tradeo between distancemoved and the amount of force Move farther out on input side of the lever and output side movesshorter distance but with more force With the mechanical advantage working in the oppositedirection moving a short distance with more force results in less force in the output but moving a
larger distance In the mousetrap car drive axle the small circumference spun by the string wrappedaround it for a relatively short length propels the much larger drive wheels a much greater distancebut with small amount of force This is why the car must roll with little friction
In the mousetrap car the lever (lever arm) is connected to wheel and axle through a thin line
Newtonrsquos Three Laws of Motion
First Law ndash object at rest will remain at restunless acted on by an unbalanced force Anobject in motion continues in motion with thesame speed and in the same direction unlessacted upon by an unbalanced force Law ofInertia
Second Law ndash states that force is proportionalto acceleration but acceleration is inverselyproportional to mass The formula Force = Massx Acceleration relates to this law and the unit offorce is the Newton
Third Law ndash For every action there is an equaland opposite reaction
Relate This to a Mousetrap Car
First Law ndash mousetrap car is at rest it needs an unbalanced force to start moving any idea where thisforce comes from If there were no friction it would continue to move in the same direction but thefriction is an unbalanced force can you think of sources friction in the mousetrap car
Second Law ndash the force is proportional to acceleration thinking about the formula for torque a _____lever arm would give faster acceleration Acceleration is inversely proportional to the mass Thismeans the heavier the mousetrap car is the acceleration would be ______
Third Law ndash for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction in the mousetrap car the wheelspush down on the floor and the floor pushes up on the _________
Relate This to Real World Example
Check out my blog post Newtonrsquos Laws and the Hybrid Car
Terminology Acceleration ndash most of the mousetrap car lab exercises I have seen deal with total distance andmeasuring acceleration
Acceleration = rate of change in velocity
Velocity = rate an object changes position (vector quantity)
Force = Mass x Acceleration
Note Speed and Velocity are not the same
Speed = rate that an object covers a distance (scalar quantity) Average Speed is just distance dividedby time think miles per hour
The faster the car is accelerating the larger the force but the larger the mass the larger the resistancewill be to the acceleration Think of how a large truck or a train is slower accelerating than anautomobile
Work ndash Power ndash Energy
Work is done when a force acting on an object causes a displacement of the object (it moves)
Power the rate which work is done Power = Work Time standard metric unit of power is the watt Fora long distance mousetrap Low Power is desirable work should be done over long period of time
Energy standard definition is ldquothe ability to do workrdquo this might not be too helpful There are severalforms of energy and oen one form of energy can be converted to another In the mousetrap car thepotential energy in the wound spring (elastic energy) moves the mousetrap car converting to kineticenergy
Constructing the Mousetrap Car
Understanding the physics of the mousetrap car should help in designing a more eicient operatingmousetrap car In building the mousetrap car you need to understand the basic components needed
Chassis ndash frame of the car to which the other components attach to For the mousetrap car it shouldbe rigid yet lightweight The first car I built I used a framework of bamboo which required additionalbracing as the tension of the mousetrap pulling on the string across the length of the chassis wascausing it to twist The next generation of mousetrap cars was built from balsa wood and the currentgeneration use a chassis made from a foam block
In the first prototypes of the bamboo mousetrap
car I noticed that the chassis was twisting from
the force of the lever arm pulling on the rear
axle
Bracing was added to stien the chassis
which solved the problem When the
chassis twisted it caused the car to turn
one direction
Hub ndash this the center of the wheel which attaches to the axle The hub should hold the axle in theexact center of the wheel and the sides of the hub should be exactly 90 degrees to the axle otherwisethe wheel will wobble
I made hubs from cutting squares from rubber tarp
straps and drilling hole through the center
Square hub is glued so as to cover
the hole
Faucet washers can fit in the hole of CDrsquos but I
found the ones purchased through Doc Fizzixrsquos fit
tighter
Faucet washers on Doc Fizzixrsquos
mousetrap car
DOC FIZZIX1728 CDDVD
Shop now
Axle ndash sha is attached to the wheels though the hubs it should be straight as possible or the wheelswill wobble In the mousetrap car one axle acts like a pulley as the string is wrapped around it Thediameter of axle in relation to the diameter of the driving wheels is the mechanical advantage
Wheel ndash mousetrap car rolls on wheels this is the geometric shape of a circle This means you shouldunderstand terms such as diameter circumference radius pi rolling resistance and rotationalinertia I have used CDrsquos clear layers and cottage cheese lids for wheels
Large Wheels ndash using really large diameterdrive wheels gives even larger mechanicaladvantage for greater distance
Bearing ndash this is the contactpoint between the turning axleand the attachment to thechassis the less friction in thebearings the more eicient themousetrap car With too muchfriction in the bearings themousetrap the mousetrapmight not even move or stoprepeatedly
Lever Arm
The lever arm extends from the mousetrapspring as a lever to pull the string Threemajor considerations for the lever arm
Material it should be very sti but light inweight Attaching to the mousetrap spring thereis a great deal of force where the lever armis attached to the spring The length of the lever arm is importantthe longer the arm the more line can bepulled through and mousetrap car shouldgo farther
The lever arm on this car is made from a square stock of a hard wood originally I started withbalsa with a T-joint but students were breaking the balsa Aer handling delicate balsa structures inmodel airplanes it was not a problem for me
Torque and Lever Arm Calculations for a Mousetrap Car
Torque has been defined either as a twisting force or the tendency to rotate around an axis Acommon example of torque is tightening a bolt with a wrench To know how much torque is beingapplied to a bolt a mechanics will oen use a special type of wrench known as a ldquotorque wrenchrdquo so aspecified amount of torque can be applied to a bolt
The formula for torque is very simple if the force is applied perpendicular to the lever Torque =radius x force Normally units of torque are foot pounds or newton meters This equation gives thetorque applied to the pivot point this is the mechanical advantage concept
I have been thinking more about how math could be used to predict an outcome To start with amousetrap car if you could calculate what force is available at the end of the lever arm based on thetorque at the axis it would give you some idea on how much force is available to propel the mousetrapcar It is also interesting to see how the force decreases as the spring unwinds
For a mousetrap car that will go a long distance the lever arm needs to be longer to pull more line thatis wrapped around the driving axle From these calculations it can be easily seen that the amount offorce available rapidly diminishes as the length of the lever arm increases
To me it is also interesting if you can measure calculated outcomes and think about the reasons forinaccuracies For this experiment inaccuracy was related to the spring scale I was using and how I wasusing it Doc Fizzix sells a torsion wheel to measure the torque of the mousetrap spring Link toTorsion Wheel product
For my experiment I measured the force in grams at 4 centimeters from the axis at 25 90 and 180degrees I then measured at 28 centimeters from the axis and then calculated what the force shouldbe based on the measurements at 4 centimeters Measurements were also taken at 28 centimeters soa comparison could be done between the calculated and the measured Fairly close results
GFCM is the torque dividing by the radius gives the force Example 1600 28 = 5714 3200 28 =11429 and 4400 28 = 15714
Above are the comparisons of the measurements and the calculations which appear in red
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 25 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 90 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 180 Degrees
The concept of torque is also important in flight like in this quadcopter checkout my article Basic Quadcopters
Notes on Units
Many times formulas are based on units other than those you have collected your data with Myspring scale does display Newtons also but grams are a much smaller unit which helps in taking moreaccurate measurement
For Example to Compute the Potential Energy of Torsional Spring conversion to Newtons metersand radians are needed
1 gram = 0098 Newtons
Radians = (degrees π) 180
1 centimeter = 01 meters
1 joule = force of 1 Newton through a distance of 1 meter
Blog Article 10-10-2017 Mousetrap Car Demonstration at Nursing Home
Doc Fizzix Mousetrap Car Kits
$1595
The EnforcerRubber Band
Shop now
$1595
Basic MousetrapCar Kit by
Shop now
$895
Little MoeMousetrap Car
Shop now
60 thoughts on ldquoMousetrap Carsrdquo
56
adidas f50adizeromessi
Your work is quite good
April 29 2014 at 232 pm
Anonymous
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssssssss
January 20 2015 at 1141 am
Jam2033
It was pretty good
May 4 2017 at 111 am
Anonymous
Excellent source of student language information Great project for my 5th gradestudents Excellent job
May 12 2014 at 930 am
DFB trikot2014
Awsome site I am loving it Will come back again I am taking your feeds also
May 30 2014 at 509 pm
snazzynazzy
I LOVE THIS WEBSITE I USED IT FOR MY PRIMARY CLASSES
August 14 2014 at 856 pm
Wolf
What is a primary class -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 457 pm
Wolf
Thanks for this info sadly for our project we canrsquot use kits But what do yourecommend for the axles I have been having trouble with them -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 456 pm
Bill Kuhl
If you look at my design for mousetrap car I used coat hanger wire try to findstraight sections Better kits use brass tubing Then you need a hub on mydesign I cut sections of rubber tarp strap and drilled a hole in it For bearing Iused the metal screw eyes
September 11 2014 at 509 pm
hi
very goo I got our mouse trap car idea from this website thanks mr miller these aregreat ideas
September 18 2014 at 344 pm
Anonymous
this is so awesome broski
October 16 2014 at 242 pm
Anonymous
this website is so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
allie
so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
liv
Soooooooo helpfullllll Actually it really showed me what I could do for my own
March 30 2015 at 1240 pm
Anonymous
Thanks for creating this This is pretty Helpful
January 13 2015 at 252 pm
Anonymous
Its helpful because even when ur building one in science
January 14 2015 at 1012 am
Nobody
SO AWESOME
March 6 2015 at 1055 am
Anonymous
thats really cool i like it great job
March 30 2015 at 943 am
Damian
that is really cool
March 30 2015 at 948 am
Anonymous
great i love it
May 8 2015 at 1111 am
Bod
l love it so much i mad 24 cars i love the experiences it is life changing
May 8 2015 at 1113 am
May 11 2015 at 909 am
Anonymous
cool
Jenna
Excuse me I love your work but could you please tell me when you published thisarticle Thank you
August 31 2015 at 500 pm
Bill Kuhl
This webpage on mousetrap cars was redone last year I had a somewhat dierentwebpage for several years
August 31 2015 at 923 pm
Crush
How do you true the wheels axels and attach-point on the chassis Despite all myeorts the wheels and chassis still have wobble to them and the car doesnrsquot drivein a straight line I found it very diicult to get everything centered and aligned onall axis
October 13 2015 at 1145 pm
Bill Kuhl
Crush that was a good question Wheel wobble has to to do with how straight andsolid the hub axle joint is You need to make sure the wheel to the axle isperpendicular that is like a ldquoTrdquo The axle alignment with the chassis of the car hasto be that way also Some method of adjusting the steering and then setting it maybe desirable On my design I used the screw eyes in a way small adjustments couldbe done on the tracking Some Doc Fizzix cars pivot the front axle and then allowyou to tighten it down
October 14 2015 at 811 am
very helpful got an A on my project and im in 7th grade
October 19 2015 at 156 pm
a 7th gradernamedjacob
Bill Kuhl
Thank you Jacob in 7th grade it makes my eort seem worthwhile
October 19 2015 at 223 pm
Michel
Over-tightening could be in the same way harmful because under-tighteningExamples include motors as well as equipment assemblies
November 15 2015 at 207 am
KilenTora
This was a great help for me in science or I probably would of failed science Verydescriptive and easy to understand as well Thank you
January 4 2016 at 945 pm
JeerySmogelton
This is the best website I have ever seen OMG
February 1 2016 at 1032 am
Bill Kuhl
Mousetrap McGee somehow I doubt you are building a mousetrap car every 4hours but I canrsquot stop laughing reading your comment
February 12 2016 at 823 am
Do yuo doubt me I got over 700 hundred and countingg I typing with onehand becuase Irsquom making mousetrap cars with the other Irsquom beginnning to
March 4 2016 at 814 am
MousetrapMcGee
think I hava problem Please help me bill your my only hope 0
Halal
i like your thinking
-wolf
April 11 2016 at 610 pm
MousetrapMcGee
I used to not know how to make a mousetrap car This article has changes my lifeNow I make a mousetrap car every 4 hours This article has brought meaning to mylife Great Googly Moogly I never realized how awe-inspiring mousetrap cars canbe Golly Josh Darn it why didnrsquot I find this page before Now my warehouse hasapproximately 352 mousetrap cars and counting 0
February 12 2016 at 813 am
Ken M
These mousetrap cars have ruined my life I worked with my son to make one andhe proceeded to show his friends Now the whole neighborhood is littered withthese things I have gotten several complaints and even threatened with a lawsuitfrom my neighbors for harassment and assault from the injuries inquired from themouse trap Every morning I wake and slip on a mousetrap car down the stairs Ihave been to the hospital three times and my wife threatens to leave me Lastweekend a mousetrap car took my job and I am on the verge of losing my homeWhy hasnrsquot Obama stepped in to clean this mess up The federal government failsitrsquos citizens once again
March 9 2016 at 1050 am
Fat Fart
Yoursquore a legend
April 4 2016 at 1053 am
September 21 2017 at 1059 am
NoybNoybie
im screaming is this real
Alex
Irsquom planning to use this idea for a summer camp If I have the kids from 9am to4pm is this a 1 day project Or multi-days
March 19 2016 at 925 am
Bill Kuhl
I have been doing it within one 1 12 hour class This didnrsquot give much time torun the cars
March 19 2016 at 319 pm
me
this is good
March 31 2016 at 812 am
a person
this site was helpful
April 20 2016 at 731 am
Anonymous
legendary
April 22 2016 at 1112 am
May 3 2016 at 1230 pm
oicial_lover_of_mousetrap_cars
I made 500000 mousetrap cars and counting I have been making them since lastyear and I absolutely love them I have caught around 100000 mice from my houseand garage in total
hunter
100000 you say Seems quite excessive donrsquot you think
September 7 2017 at 1117 am
Eliza
May 10 2016 at 1227 pm
Cammie
Thatrsquos not just logic Thatrsquos really senbesli
July 17 2016 at 935 pm
Anonymous
very helpful thanks
July 20 2016 at 802 pm
Gerald
very helpful thank you for your help
July 20 2016 at 803 pm
Sarah
Thank you I am trying to reference this site can you tell me the date this page wascreated
August 25 2016 at 745 pm
Bill Kuhl
From the editor I see Published on Dec 13 2013 1136
Bill Kuhl
August 26 2016 at 1237 pm
Pingback 31Aug ndash Term1 Day18 ndash cvintroengcar
Anonomus
Realy helpful best site there is 3
October 24 2016 at 744 am
A BoardIndividual
The only truly good website for mousetrap cars there is good for science fairprojects 3
December 20 2016 at 650 am
Anonymous
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 339 pm
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 341 pm
minimuinninja
Lyn
Good article
June 8 2017 at 1248 pm
Mico
Hello there Maybe you could help me solve a problem on mousetrap car Do youhave any idea on how to turn the wheel of a mousetrap car The problem is weneed to avoid an obstacle 1 meter away and should get back to the line of distancefrom where my car starts The longest distance the car traveled from the obstacle isthe winner The vehicle must start from behind a start-line and then clear anobstacle as it travels the longest possible distance in the longitudinal directionfrom the start line The device must come to a rest as close as possible to a pointdirectly inline from its start location (ie minimise the transverse distance)
August 21 2017 at 404 am
Bill Kuhl
There was a rubber powered event that had to go around an obstacle but youcould make the steering adjustable to a fixed setting and then curve around theobstacle As far as stopping at a certain point there is a Doc Fizzix car like thatwhich uses a threaded rod and a wingnut One side of the wingnut goes in achannel You adjust where wingnut starts and when it gets to one side it stopsthe car
August 21 2017 at 940 am
Mamcee
-This Is Epic I Got Everything I Needed hellip THANK Yu
September 16 2017 at 1129 am
The lever arm which is attached to the mousetrap spring moves through a half circle which 180degrees The torque (amount of twisting force) decreases proportionally as measured farther outfrom the spring along the lever arm
When the lever arm is pulled all the way back the torque will be the greatest That is good because thecar needs the extra force as it starts to move to overcome the opposing force of inertia (Newtonrsquos FirstLaw) This is potential energy with the lever arm pulled back as the mousetrap car moves thisconverts into kinetic energy The force from the wound spring will decrease as the lever movestowards the opposite position from the start
Physics Concepts
Hopefully you have identified that there are many physics concepts in this seemly simple model carLet us outline some concepts that should be studied to understand the operation of the mousetrap
car
Simple machines ndash lever ndash wheel and axle this relates to mechanical advantage
Simple Machine ndash The Lever
Simple Machine ndash Wheel amp Axle
Mechanical advantage is the ratio of output force to input force which is a tradeo between distancemoved and the amount of force Move farther out on input side of the lever and output side movesshorter distance but with more force With the mechanical advantage working in the oppositedirection moving a short distance with more force results in less force in the output but moving a
larger distance In the mousetrap car drive axle the small circumference spun by the string wrappedaround it for a relatively short length propels the much larger drive wheels a much greater distancebut with small amount of force This is why the car must roll with little friction
In the mousetrap car the lever (lever arm) is connected to wheel and axle through a thin line
Newtonrsquos Three Laws of Motion
First Law ndash object at rest will remain at restunless acted on by an unbalanced force Anobject in motion continues in motion with thesame speed and in the same direction unlessacted upon by an unbalanced force Law ofInertia
Second Law ndash states that force is proportionalto acceleration but acceleration is inverselyproportional to mass The formula Force = Massx Acceleration relates to this law and the unit offorce is the Newton
Third Law ndash For every action there is an equaland opposite reaction
Relate This to a Mousetrap Car
First Law ndash mousetrap car is at rest it needs an unbalanced force to start moving any idea where thisforce comes from If there were no friction it would continue to move in the same direction but thefriction is an unbalanced force can you think of sources friction in the mousetrap car
Second Law ndash the force is proportional to acceleration thinking about the formula for torque a _____lever arm would give faster acceleration Acceleration is inversely proportional to the mass Thismeans the heavier the mousetrap car is the acceleration would be ______
Third Law ndash for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction in the mousetrap car the wheelspush down on the floor and the floor pushes up on the _________
Relate This to Real World Example
Check out my blog post Newtonrsquos Laws and the Hybrid Car
Terminology Acceleration ndash most of the mousetrap car lab exercises I have seen deal with total distance andmeasuring acceleration
Acceleration = rate of change in velocity
Velocity = rate an object changes position (vector quantity)
Force = Mass x Acceleration
Note Speed and Velocity are not the same
Speed = rate that an object covers a distance (scalar quantity) Average Speed is just distance dividedby time think miles per hour
The faster the car is accelerating the larger the force but the larger the mass the larger the resistancewill be to the acceleration Think of how a large truck or a train is slower accelerating than anautomobile
Work ndash Power ndash Energy
Work is done when a force acting on an object causes a displacement of the object (it moves)
Power the rate which work is done Power = Work Time standard metric unit of power is the watt Fora long distance mousetrap Low Power is desirable work should be done over long period of time
Energy standard definition is ldquothe ability to do workrdquo this might not be too helpful There are severalforms of energy and oen one form of energy can be converted to another In the mousetrap car thepotential energy in the wound spring (elastic energy) moves the mousetrap car converting to kineticenergy
Constructing the Mousetrap Car
Understanding the physics of the mousetrap car should help in designing a more eicient operatingmousetrap car In building the mousetrap car you need to understand the basic components needed
Chassis ndash frame of the car to which the other components attach to For the mousetrap car it shouldbe rigid yet lightweight The first car I built I used a framework of bamboo which required additionalbracing as the tension of the mousetrap pulling on the string across the length of the chassis wascausing it to twist The next generation of mousetrap cars was built from balsa wood and the currentgeneration use a chassis made from a foam block
In the first prototypes of the bamboo mousetrap
car I noticed that the chassis was twisting from
the force of the lever arm pulling on the rear
axle
Bracing was added to stien the chassis
which solved the problem When the
chassis twisted it caused the car to turn
one direction
Hub ndash this the center of the wheel which attaches to the axle The hub should hold the axle in theexact center of the wheel and the sides of the hub should be exactly 90 degrees to the axle otherwisethe wheel will wobble
I made hubs from cutting squares from rubber tarp
straps and drilling hole through the center
Square hub is glued so as to cover
the hole
Faucet washers can fit in the hole of CDrsquos but I
found the ones purchased through Doc Fizzixrsquos fit
tighter
Faucet washers on Doc Fizzixrsquos
mousetrap car
DOC FIZZIX1728 CDDVD
Shop now
Axle ndash sha is attached to the wheels though the hubs it should be straight as possible or the wheelswill wobble In the mousetrap car one axle acts like a pulley as the string is wrapped around it Thediameter of axle in relation to the diameter of the driving wheels is the mechanical advantage
Wheel ndash mousetrap car rolls on wheels this is the geometric shape of a circle This means you shouldunderstand terms such as diameter circumference radius pi rolling resistance and rotationalinertia I have used CDrsquos clear layers and cottage cheese lids for wheels
Large Wheels ndash using really large diameterdrive wheels gives even larger mechanicaladvantage for greater distance
Bearing ndash this is the contactpoint between the turning axleand the attachment to thechassis the less friction in thebearings the more eicient themousetrap car With too muchfriction in the bearings themousetrap the mousetrapmight not even move or stoprepeatedly
Lever Arm
The lever arm extends from the mousetrapspring as a lever to pull the string Threemajor considerations for the lever arm
Material it should be very sti but light inweight Attaching to the mousetrap spring thereis a great deal of force where the lever armis attached to the spring The length of the lever arm is importantthe longer the arm the more line can bepulled through and mousetrap car shouldgo farther
The lever arm on this car is made from a square stock of a hard wood originally I started withbalsa with a T-joint but students were breaking the balsa Aer handling delicate balsa structures inmodel airplanes it was not a problem for me
Torque and Lever Arm Calculations for a Mousetrap Car
Torque has been defined either as a twisting force or the tendency to rotate around an axis Acommon example of torque is tightening a bolt with a wrench To know how much torque is beingapplied to a bolt a mechanics will oen use a special type of wrench known as a ldquotorque wrenchrdquo so aspecified amount of torque can be applied to a bolt
The formula for torque is very simple if the force is applied perpendicular to the lever Torque =radius x force Normally units of torque are foot pounds or newton meters This equation gives thetorque applied to the pivot point this is the mechanical advantage concept
I have been thinking more about how math could be used to predict an outcome To start with amousetrap car if you could calculate what force is available at the end of the lever arm based on thetorque at the axis it would give you some idea on how much force is available to propel the mousetrapcar It is also interesting to see how the force decreases as the spring unwinds
For a mousetrap car that will go a long distance the lever arm needs to be longer to pull more line thatis wrapped around the driving axle From these calculations it can be easily seen that the amount offorce available rapidly diminishes as the length of the lever arm increases
To me it is also interesting if you can measure calculated outcomes and think about the reasons forinaccuracies For this experiment inaccuracy was related to the spring scale I was using and how I wasusing it Doc Fizzix sells a torsion wheel to measure the torque of the mousetrap spring Link toTorsion Wheel product
For my experiment I measured the force in grams at 4 centimeters from the axis at 25 90 and 180degrees I then measured at 28 centimeters from the axis and then calculated what the force shouldbe based on the measurements at 4 centimeters Measurements were also taken at 28 centimeters soa comparison could be done between the calculated and the measured Fairly close results
GFCM is the torque dividing by the radius gives the force Example 1600 28 = 5714 3200 28 =11429 and 4400 28 = 15714
Above are the comparisons of the measurements and the calculations which appear in red
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 25 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 90 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 180 Degrees
The concept of torque is also important in flight like in this quadcopter checkout my article Basic Quadcopters
Notes on Units
Many times formulas are based on units other than those you have collected your data with Myspring scale does display Newtons also but grams are a much smaller unit which helps in taking moreaccurate measurement
For Example to Compute the Potential Energy of Torsional Spring conversion to Newtons metersand radians are needed
1 gram = 0098 Newtons
Radians = (degrees π) 180
1 centimeter = 01 meters
1 joule = force of 1 Newton through a distance of 1 meter
Blog Article 10-10-2017 Mousetrap Car Demonstration at Nursing Home
Doc Fizzix Mousetrap Car Kits
$1595
The EnforcerRubber Band
Shop now
$1595
Basic MousetrapCar Kit by
Shop now
$895
Little MoeMousetrap Car
Shop now
60 thoughts on ldquoMousetrap Carsrdquo
56
adidas f50adizeromessi
Your work is quite good
April 29 2014 at 232 pm
Anonymous
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssssssss
January 20 2015 at 1141 am
Jam2033
It was pretty good
May 4 2017 at 111 am
Anonymous
Excellent source of student language information Great project for my 5th gradestudents Excellent job
May 12 2014 at 930 am
DFB trikot2014
Awsome site I am loving it Will come back again I am taking your feeds also
May 30 2014 at 509 pm
snazzynazzy
I LOVE THIS WEBSITE I USED IT FOR MY PRIMARY CLASSES
August 14 2014 at 856 pm
Wolf
What is a primary class -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 457 pm
Wolf
Thanks for this info sadly for our project we canrsquot use kits But what do yourecommend for the axles I have been having trouble with them -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 456 pm
Bill Kuhl
If you look at my design for mousetrap car I used coat hanger wire try to findstraight sections Better kits use brass tubing Then you need a hub on mydesign I cut sections of rubber tarp strap and drilled a hole in it For bearing Iused the metal screw eyes
September 11 2014 at 509 pm
hi
very goo I got our mouse trap car idea from this website thanks mr miller these aregreat ideas
September 18 2014 at 344 pm
Anonymous
this is so awesome broski
October 16 2014 at 242 pm
Anonymous
this website is so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
allie
so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
liv
Soooooooo helpfullllll Actually it really showed me what I could do for my own
March 30 2015 at 1240 pm
Anonymous
Thanks for creating this This is pretty Helpful
January 13 2015 at 252 pm
Anonymous
Its helpful because even when ur building one in science
January 14 2015 at 1012 am
Nobody
SO AWESOME
March 6 2015 at 1055 am
Anonymous
thats really cool i like it great job
March 30 2015 at 943 am
Damian
that is really cool
March 30 2015 at 948 am
Anonymous
great i love it
May 8 2015 at 1111 am
Bod
l love it so much i mad 24 cars i love the experiences it is life changing
May 8 2015 at 1113 am
May 11 2015 at 909 am
Anonymous
cool
Jenna
Excuse me I love your work but could you please tell me when you published thisarticle Thank you
August 31 2015 at 500 pm
Bill Kuhl
This webpage on mousetrap cars was redone last year I had a somewhat dierentwebpage for several years
August 31 2015 at 923 pm
Crush
How do you true the wheels axels and attach-point on the chassis Despite all myeorts the wheels and chassis still have wobble to them and the car doesnrsquot drivein a straight line I found it very diicult to get everything centered and aligned onall axis
October 13 2015 at 1145 pm
Bill Kuhl
Crush that was a good question Wheel wobble has to to do with how straight andsolid the hub axle joint is You need to make sure the wheel to the axle isperpendicular that is like a ldquoTrdquo The axle alignment with the chassis of the car hasto be that way also Some method of adjusting the steering and then setting it maybe desirable On my design I used the screw eyes in a way small adjustments couldbe done on the tracking Some Doc Fizzix cars pivot the front axle and then allowyou to tighten it down
October 14 2015 at 811 am
very helpful got an A on my project and im in 7th grade
October 19 2015 at 156 pm
a 7th gradernamedjacob
Bill Kuhl
Thank you Jacob in 7th grade it makes my eort seem worthwhile
October 19 2015 at 223 pm
Michel
Over-tightening could be in the same way harmful because under-tighteningExamples include motors as well as equipment assemblies
November 15 2015 at 207 am
KilenTora
This was a great help for me in science or I probably would of failed science Verydescriptive and easy to understand as well Thank you
January 4 2016 at 945 pm
JeerySmogelton
This is the best website I have ever seen OMG
February 1 2016 at 1032 am
Bill Kuhl
Mousetrap McGee somehow I doubt you are building a mousetrap car every 4hours but I canrsquot stop laughing reading your comment
February 12 2016 at 823 am
Do yuo doubt me I got over 700 hundred and countingg I typing with onehand becuase Irsquom making mousetrap cars with the other Irsquom beginnning to
March 4 2016 at 814 am
MousetrapMcGee
think I hava problem Please help me bill your my only hope 0
Halal
i like your thinking
-wolf
April 11 2016 at 610 pm
MousetrapMcGee
I used to not know how to make a mousetrap car This article has changes my lifeNow I make a mousetrap car every 4 hours This article has brought meaning to mylife Great Googly Moogly I never realized how awe-inspiring mousetrap cars canbe Golly Josh Darn it why didnrsquot I find this page before Now my warehouse hasapproximately 352 mousetrap cars and counting 0
February 12 2016 at 813 am
Ken M
These mousetrap cars have ruined my life I worked with my son to make one andhe proceeded to show his friends Now the whole neighborhood is littered withthese things I have gotten several complaints and even threatened with a lawsuitfrom my neighbors for harassment and assault from the injuries inquired from themouse trap Every morning I wake and slip on a mousetrap car down the stairs Ihave been to the hospital three times and my wife threatens to leave me Lastweekend a mousetrap car took my job and I am on the verge of losing my homeWhy hasnrsquot Obama stepped in to clean this mess up The federal government failsitrsquos citizens once again
March 9 2016 at 1050 am
Fat Fart
Yoursquore a legend
April 4 2016 at 1053 am
September 21 2017 at 1059 am
NoybNoybie
im screaming is this real
Alex
Irsquom planning to use this idea for a summer camp If I have the kids from 9am to4pm is this a 1 day project Or multi-days
March 19 2016 at 925 am
Bill Kuhl
I have been doing it within one 1 12 hour class This didnrsquot give much time torun the cars
March 19 2016 at 319 pm
me
this is good
March 31 2016 at 812 am
a person
this site was helpful
April 20 2016 at 731 am
Anonymous
legendary
April 22 2016 at 1112 am
May 3 2016 at 1230 pm
oicial_lover_of_mousetrap_cars
I made 500000 mousetrap cars and counting I have been making them since lastyear and I absolutely love them I have caught around 100000 mice from my houseand garage in total
hunter
100000 you say Seems quite excessive donrsquot you think
September 7 2017 at 1117 am
Eliza
May 10 2016 at 1227 pm
Cammie
Thatrsquos not just logic Thatrsquos really senbesli
July 17 2016 at 935 pm
Anonymous
very helpful thanks
July 20 2016 at 802 pm
Gerald
very helpful thank you for your help
July 20 2016 at 803 pm
Sarah
Thank you I am trying to reference this site can you tell me the date this page wascreated
August 25 2016 at 745 pm
Bill Kuhl
From the editor I see Published on Dec 13 2013 1136
Bill Kuhl
August 26 2016 at 1237 pm
Pingback 31Aug ndash Term1 Day18 ndash cvintroengcar
Anonomus
Realy helpful best site there is 3
October 24 2016 at 744 am
A BoardIndividual
The only truly good website for mousetrap cars there is good for science fairprojects 3
December 20 2016 at 650 am
Anonymous
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 339 pm
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 341 pm
minimuinninja
Lyn
Good article
June 8 2017 at 1248 pm
Mico
Hello there Maybe you could help me solve a problem on mousetrap car Do youhave any idea on how to turn the wheel of a mousetrap car The problem is weneed to avoid an obstacle 1 meter away and should get back to the line of distancefrom where my car starts The longest distance the car traveled from the obstacle isthe winner The vehicle must start from behind a start-line and then clear anobstacle as it travels the longest possible distance in the longitudinal directionfrom the start line The device must come to a rest as close as possible to a pointdirectly inline from its start location (ie minimise the transverse distance)
August 21 2017 at 404 am
Bill Kuhl
There was a rubber powered event that had to go around an obstacle but youcould make the steering adjustable to a fixed setting and then curve around theobstacle As far as stopping at a certain point there is a Doc Fizzix car like thatwhich uses a threaded rod and a wingnut One side of the wingnut goes in achannel You adjust where wingnut starts and when it gets to one side it stopsthe car
August 21 2017 at 940 am
Mamcee
-This Is Epic I Got Everything I Needed hellip THANK Yu
September 16 2017 at 1129 am
car
Simple machines ndash lever ndash wheel and axle this relates to mechanical advantage
Simple Machine ndash The Lever
Simple Machine ndash Wheel amp Axle
Mechanical advantage is the ratio of output force to input force which is a tradeo between distancemoved and the amount of force Move farther out on input side of the lever and output side movesshorter distance but with more force With the mechanical advantage working in the oppositedirection moving a short distance with more force results in less force in the output but moving a
larger distance In the mousetrap car drive axle the small circumference spun by the string wrappedaround it for a relatively short length propels the much larger drive wheels a much greater distancebut with small amount of force This is why the car must roll with little friction
In the mousetrap car the lever (lever arm) is connected to wheel and axle through a thin line
Newtonrsquos Three Laws of Motion
First Law ndash object at rest will remain at restunless acted on by an unbalanced force Anobject in motion continues in motion with thesame speed and in the same direction unlessacted upon by an unbalanced force Law ofInertia
Second Law ndash states that force is proportionalto acceleration but acceleration is inverselyproportional to mass The formula Force = Massx Acceleration relates to this law and the unit offorce is the Newton
Third Law ndash For every action there is an equaland opposite reaction
Relate This to a Mousetrap Car
First Law ndash mousetrap car is at rest it needs an unbalanced force to start moving any idea where thisforce comes from If there were no friction it would continue to move in the same direction but thefriction is an unbalanced force can you think of sources friction in the mousetrap car
Second Law ndash the force is proportional to acceleration thinking about the formula for torque a _____lever arm would give faster acceleration Acceleration is inversely proportional to the mass Thismeans the heavier the mousetrap car is the acceleration would be ______
Third Law ndash for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction in the mousetrap car the wheelspush down on the floor and the floor pushes up on the _________
Relate This to Real World Example
Check out my blog post Newtonrsquos Laws and the Hybrid Car
Terminology Acceleration ndash most of the mousetrap car lab exercises I have seen deal with total distance andmeasuring acceleration
Acceleration = rate of change in velocity
Velocity = rate an object changes position (vector quantity)
Force = Mass x Acceleration
Note Speed and Velocity are not the same
Speed = rate that an object covers a distance (scalar quantity) Average Speed is just distance dividedby time think miles per hour
The faster the car is accelerating the larger the force but the larger the mass the larger the resistancewill be to the acceleration Think of how a large truck or a train is slower accelerating than anautomobile
Work ndash Power ndash Energy
Work is done when a force acting on an object causes a displacement of the object (it moves)
Power the rate which work is done Power = Work Time standard metric unit of power is the watt Fora long distance mousetrap Low Power is desirable work should be done over long period of time
Energy standard definition is ldquothe ability to do workrdquo this might not be too helpful There are severalforms of energy and oen one form of energy can be converted to another In the mousetrap car thepotential energy in the wound spring (elastic energy) moves the mousetrap car converting to kineticenergy
Constructing the Mousetrap Car
Understanding the physics of the mousetrap car should help in designing a more eicient operatingmousetrap car In building the mousetrap car you need to understand the basic components needed
Chassis ndash frame of the car to which the other components attach to For the mousetrap car it shouldbe rigid yet lightweight The first car I built I used a framework of bamboo which required additionalbracing as the tension of the mousetrap pulling on the string across the length of the chassis wascausing it to twist The next generation of mousetrap cars was built from balsa wood and the currentgeneration use a chassis made from a foam block
In the first prototypes of the bamboo mousetrap
car I noticed that the chassis was twisting from
the force of the lever arm pulling on the rear
axle
Bracing was added to stien the chassis
which solved the problem When the
chassis twisted it caused the car to turn
one direction
Hub ndash this the center of the wheel which attaches to the axle The hub should hold the axle in theexact center of the wheel and the sides of the hub should be exactly 90 degrees to the axle otherwisethe wheel will wobble
I made hubs from cutting squares from rubber tarp
straps and drilling hole through the center
Square hub is glued so as to cover
the hole
Faucet washers can fit in the hole of CDrsquos but I
found the ones purchased through Doc Fizzixrsquos fit
tighter
Faucet washers on Doc Fizzixrsquos
mousetrap car
DOC FIZZIX1728 CDDVD
Shop now
Axle ndash sha is attached to the wheels though the hubs it should be straight as possible or the wheelswill wobble In the mousetrap car one axle acts like a pulley as the string is wrapped around it Thediameter of axle in relation to the diameter of the driving wheels is the mechanical advantage
Wheel ndash mousetrap car rolls on wheels this is the geometric shape of a circle This means you shouldunderstand terms such as diameter circumference radius pi rolling resistance and rotationalinertia I have used CDrsquos clear layers and cottage cheese lids for wheels
Large Wheels ndash using really large diameterdrive wheels gives even larger mechanicaladvantage for greater distance
Bearing ndash this is the contactpoint between the turning axleand the attachment to thechassis the less friction in thebearings the more eicient themousetrap car With too muchfriction in the bearings themousetrap the mousetrapmight not even move or stoprepeatedly
Lever Arm
The lever arm extends from the mousetrapspring as a lever to pull the string Threemajor considerations for the lever arm
Material it should be very sti but light inweight Attaching to the mousetrap spring thereis a great deal of force where the lever armis attached to the spring The length of the lever arm is importantthe longer the arm the more line can bepulled through and mousetrap car shouldgo farther
The lever arm on this car is made from a square stock of a hard wood originally I started withbalsa with a T-joint but students were breaking the balsa Aer handling delicate balsa structures inmodel airplanes it was not a problem for me
Torque and Lever Arm Calculations for a Mousetrap Car
Torque has been defined either as a twisting force or the tendency to rotate around an axis Acommon example of torque is tightening a bolt with a wrench To know how much torque is beingapplied to a bolt a mechanics will oen use a special type of wrench known as a ldquotorque wrenchrdquo so aspecified amount of torque can be applied to a bolt
The formula for torque is very simple if the force is applied perpendicular to the lever Torque =radius x force Normally units of torque are foot pounds or newton meters This equation gives thetorque applied to the pivot point this is the mechanical advantage concept
I have been thinking more about how math could be used to predict an outcome To start with amousetrap car if you could calculate what force is available at the end of the lever arm based on thetorque at the axis it would give you some idea on how much force is available to propel the mousetrapcar It is also interesting to see how the force decreases as the spring unwinds
For a mousetrap car that will go a long distance the lever arm needs to be longer to pull more line thatis wrapped around the driving axle From these calculations it can be easily seen that the amount offorce available rapidly diminishes as the length of the lever arm increases
To me it is also interesting if you can measure calculated outcomes and think about the reasons forinaccuracies For this experiment inaccuracy was related to the spring scale I was using and how I wasusing it Doc Fizzix sells a torsion wheel to measure the torque of the mousetrap spring Link toTorsion Wheel product
For my experiment I measured the force in grams at 4 centimeters from the axis at 25 90 and 180degrees I then measured at 28 centimeters from the axis and then calculated what the force shouldbe based on the measurements at 4 centimeters Measurements were also taken at 28 centimeters soa comparison could be done between the calculated and the measured Fairly close results
GFCM is the torque dividing by the radius gives the force Example 1600 28 = 5714 3200 28 =11429 and 4400 28 = 15714
Above are the comparisons of the measurements and the calculations which appear in red
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 25 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 90 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 180 Degrees
The concept of torque is also important in flight like in this quadcopter checkout my article Basic Quadcopters
Notes on Units
Many times formulas are based on units other than those you have collected your data with Myspring scale does display Newtons also but grams are a much smaller unit which helps in taking moreaccurate measurement
For Example to Compute the Potential Energy of Torsional Spring conversion to Newtons metersand radians are needed
1 gram = 0098 Newtons
Radians = (degrees π) 180
1 centimeter = 01 meters
1 joule = force of 1 Newton through a distance of 1 meter
Blog Article 10-10-2017 Mousetrap Car Demonstration at Nursing Home
Doc Fizzix Mousetrap Car Kits
$1595
The EnforcerRubber Band
Shop now
$1595
Basic MousetrapCar Kit by
Shop now
$895
Little MoeMousetrap Car
Shop now
60 thoughts on ldquoMousetrap Carsrdquo
56
adidas f50adizeromessi
Your work is quite good
April 29 2014 at 232 pm
Anonymous
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssssssss
January 20 2015 at 1141 am
Jam2033
It was pretty good
May 4 2017 at 111 am
Anonymous
Excellent source of student language information Great project for my 5th gradestudents Excellent job
May 12 2014 at 930 am
DFB trikot2014
Awsome site I am loving it Will come back again I am taking your feeds also
May 30 2014 at 509 pm
snazzynazzy
I LOVE THIS WEBSITE I USED IT FOR MY PRIMARY CLASSES
August 14 2014 at 856 pm
Wolf
What is a primary class -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 457 pm
Wolf
Thanks for this info sadly for our project we canrsquot use kits But what do yourecommend for the axles I have been having trouble with them -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 456 pm
Bill Kuhl
If you look at my design for mousetrap car I used coat hanger wire try to findstraight sections Better kits use brass tubing Then you need a hub on mydesign I cut sections of rubber tarp strap and drilled a hole in it For bearing Iused the metal screw eyes
September 11 2014 at 509 pm
hi
very goo I got our mouse trap car idea from this website thanks mr miller these aregreat ideas
September 18 2014 at 344 pm
Anonymous
this is so awesome broski
October 16 2014 at 242 pm
Anonymous
this website is so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
allie
so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
liv
Soooooooo helpfullllll Actually it really showed me what I could do for my own
March 30 2015 at 1240 pm
Anonymous
Thanks for creating this This is pretty Helpful
January 13 2015 at 252 pm
Anonymous
Its helpful because even when ur building one in science
January 14 2015 at 1012 am
Nobody
SO AWESOME
March 6 2015 at 1055 am
Anonymous
thats really cool i like it great job
March 30 2015 at 943 am
Damian
that is really cool
March 30 2015 at 948 am
Anonymous
great i love it
May 8 2015 at 1111 am
Bod
l love it so much i mad 24 cars i love the experiences it is life changing
May 8 2015 at 1113 am
May 11 2015 at 909 am
Anonymous
cool
Jenna
Excuse me I love your work but could you please tell me when you published thisarticle Thank you
August 31 2015 at 500 pm
Bill Kuhl
This webpage on mousetrap cars was redone last year I had a somewhat dierentwebpage for several years
August 31 2015 at 923 pm
Crush
How do you true the wheels axels and attach-point on the chassis Despite all myeorts the wheels and chassis still have wobble to them and the car doesnrsquot drivein a straight line I found it very diicult to get everything centered and aligned onall axis
October 13 2015 at 1145 pm
Bill Kuhl
Crush that was a good question Wheel wobble has to to do with how straight andsolid the hub axle joint is You need to make sure the wheel to the axle isperpendicular that is like a ldquoTrdquo The axle alignment with the chassis of the car hasto be that way also Some method of adjusting the steering and then setting it maybe desirable On my design I used the screw eyes in a way small adjustments couldbe done on the tracking Some Doc Fizzix cars pivot the front axle and then allowyou to tighten it down
October 14 2015 at 811 am
very helpful got an A on my project and im in 7th grade
October 19 2015 at 156 pm
a 7th gradernamedjacob
Bill Kuhl
Thank you Jacob in 7th grade it makes my eort seem worthwhile
October 19 2015 at 223 pm
Michel
Over-tightening could be in the same way harmful because under-tighteningExamples include motors as well as equipment assemblies
November 15 2015 at 207 am
KilenTora
This was a great help for me in science or I probably would of failed science Verydescriptive and easy to understand as well Thank you
January 4 2016 at 945 pm
JeerySmogelton
This is the best website I have ever seen OMG
February 1 2016 at 1032 am
Bill Kuhl
Mousetrap McGee somehow I doubt you are building a mousetrap car every 4hours but I canrsquot stop laughing reading your comment
February 12 2016 at 823 am
Do yuo doubt me I got over 700 hundred and countingg I typing with onehand becuase Irsquom making mousetrap cars with the other Irsquom beginnning to
March 4 2016 at 814 am
MousetrapMcGee
think I hava problem Please help me bill your my only hope 0
Halal
i like your thinking
-wolf
April 11 2016 at 610 pm
MousetrapMcGee
I used to not know how to make a mousetrap car This article has changes my lifeNow I make a mousetrap car every 4 hours This article has brought meaning to mylife Great Googly Moogly I never realized how awe-inspiring mousetrap cars canbe Golly Josh Darn it why didnrsquot I find this page before Now my warehouse hasapproximately 352 mousetrap cars and counting 0
February 12 2016 at 813 am
Ken M
These mousetrap cars have ruined my life I worked with my son to make one andhe proceeded to show his friends Now the whole neighborhood is littered withthese things I have gotten several complaints and even threatened with a lawsuitfrom my neighbors for harassment and assault from the injuries inquired from themouse trap Every morning I wake and slip on a mousetrap car down the stairs Ihave been to the hospital three times and my wife threatens to leave me Lastweekend a mousetrap car took my job and I am on the verge of losing my homeWhy hasnrsquot Obama stepped in to clean this mess up The federal government failsitrsquos citizens once again
March 9 2016 at 1050 am
Fat Fart
Yoursquore a legend
April 4 2016 at 1053 am
September 21 2017 at 1059 am
NoybNoybie
im screaming is this real
Alex
Irsquom planning to use this idea for a summer camp If I have the kids from 9am to4pm is this a 1 day project Or multi-days
March 19 2016 at 925 am
Bill Kuhl
I have been doing it within one 1 12 hour class This didnrsquot give much time torun the cars
March 19 2016 at 319 pm
me
this is good
March 31 2016 at 812 am
a person
this site was helpful
April 20 2016 at 731 am
Anonymous
legendary
April 22 2016 at 1112 am
May 3 2016 at 1230 pm
oicial_lover_of_mousetrap_cars
I made 500000 mousetrap cars and counting I have been making them since lastyear and I absolutely love them I have caught around 100000 mice from my houseand garage in total
hunter
100000 you say Seems quite excessive donrsquot you think
September 7 2017 at 1117 am
Eliza
May 10 2016 at 1227 pm
Cammie
Thatrsquos not just logic Thatrsquos really senbesli
July 17 2016 at 935 pm
Anonymous
very helpful thanks
July 20 2016 at 802 pm
Gerald
very helpful thank you for your help
July 20 2016 at 803 pm
Sarah
Thank you I am trying to reference this site can you tell me the date this page wascreated
August 25 2016 at 745 pm
Bill Kuhl
From the editor I see Published on Dec 13 2013 1136
Bill Kuhl
August 26 2016 at 1237 pm
Pingback 31Aug ndash Term1 Day18 ndash cvintroengcar
Anonomus
Realy helpful best site there is 3
October 24 2016 at 744 am
A BoardIndividual
The only truly good website for mousetrap cars there is good for science fairprojects 3
December 20 2016 at 650 am
Anonymous
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 339 pm
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 341 pm
minimuinninja
Lyn
Good article
June 8 2017 at 1248 pm
Mico
Hello there Maybe you could help me solve a problem on mousetrap car Do youhave any idea on how to turn the wheel of a mousetrap car The problem is weneed to avoid an obstacle 1 meter away and should get back to the line of distancefrom where my car starts The longest distance the car traveled from the obstacle isthe winner The vehicle must start from behind a start-line and then clear anobstacle as it travels the longest possible distance in the longitudinal directionfrom the start line The device must come to a rest as close as possible to a pointdirectly inline from its start location (ie minimise the transverse distance)
August 21 2017 at 404 am
Bill Kuhl
There was a rubber powered event that had to go around an obstacle but youcould make the steering adjustable to a fixed setting and then curve around theobstacle As far as stopping at a certain point there is a Doc Fizzix car like thatwhich uses a threaded rod and a wingnut One side of the wingnut goes in achannel You adjust where wingnut starts and when it gets to one side it stopsthe car
August 21 2017 at 940 am
Mamcee
-This Is Epic I Got Everything I Needed hellip THANK Yu
September 16 2017 at 1129 am
larger distance In the mousetrap car drive axle the small circumference spun by the string wrappedaround it for a relatively short length propels the much larger drive wheels a much greater distancebut with small amount of force This is why the car must roll with little friction
In the mousetrap car the lever (lever arm) is connected to wheel and axle through a thin line
Newtonrsquos Three Laws of Motion
First Law ndash object at rest will remain at restunless acted on by an unbalanced force Anobject in motion continues in motion with thesame speed and in the same direction unlessacted upon by an unbalanced force Law ofInertia
Second Law ndash states that force is proportionalto acceleration but acceleration is inverselyproportional to mass The formula Force = Massx Acceleration relates to this law and the unit offorce is the Newton
Third Law ndash For every action there is an equaland opposite reaction
Relate This to a Mousetrap Car
First Law ndash mousetrap car is at rest it needs an unbalanced force to start moving any idea where thisforce comes from If there were no friction it would continue to move in the same direction but thefriction is an unbalanced force can you think of sources friction in the mousetrap car
Second Law ndash the force is proportional to acceleration thinking about the formula for torque a _____lever arm would give faster acceleration Acceleration is inversely proportional to the mass Thismeans the heavier the mousetrap car is the acceleration would be ______
Third Law ndash for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction in the mousetrap car the wheelspush down on the floor and the floor pushes up on the _________
Relate This to Real World Example
Check out my blog post Newtonrsquos Laws and the Hybrid Car
Terminology Acceleration ndash most of the mousetrap car lab exercises I have seen deal with total distance andmeasuring acceleration
Acceleration = rate of change in velocity
Velocity = rate an object changes position (vector quantity)
Force = Mass x Acceleration
Note Speed and Velocity are not the same
Speed = rate that an object covers a distance (scalar quantity) Average Speed is just distance dividedby time think miles per hour
The faster the car is accelerating the larger the force but the larger the mass the larger the resistancewill be to the acceleration Think of how a large truck or a train is slower accelerating than anautomobile
Work ndash Power ndash Energy
Work is done when a force acting on an object causes a displacement of the object (it moves)
Power the rate which work is done Power = Work Time standard metric unit of power is the watt Fora long distance mousetrap Low Power is desirable work should be done over long period of time
Energy standard definition is ldquothe ability to do workrdquo this might not be too helpful There are severalforms of energy and oen one form of energy can be converted to another In the mousetrap car thepotential energy in the wound spring (elastic energy) moves the mousetrap car converting to kineticenergy
Constructing the Mousetrap Car
Understanding the physics of the mousetrap car should help in designing a more eicient operatingmousetrap car In building the mousetrap car you need to understand the basic components needed
Chassis ndash frame of the car to which the other components attach to For the mousetrap car it shouldbe rigid yet lightweight The first car I built I used a framework of bamboo which required additionalbracing as the tension of the mousetrap pulling on the string across the length of the chassis wascausing it to twist The next generation of mousetrap cars was built from balsa wood and the currentgeneration use a chassis made from a foam block
In the first prototypes of the bamboo mousetrap
car I noticed that the chassis was twisting from
the force of the lever arm pulling on the rear
axle
Bracing was added to stien the chassis
which solved the problem When the
chassis twisted it caused the car to turn
one direction
Hub ndash this the center of the wheel which attaches to the axle The hub should hold the axle in theexact center of the wheel and the sides of the hub should be exactly 90 degrees to the axle otherwisethe wheel will wobble
I made hubs from cutting squares from rubber tarp
straps and drilling hole through the center
Square hub is glued so as to cover
the hole
Faucet washers can fit in the hole of CDrsquos but I
found the ones purchased through Doc Fizzixrsquos fit
tighter
Faucet washers on Doc Fizzixrsquos
mousetrap car
DOC FIZZIX1728 CDDVD
Shop now
Axle ndash sha is attached to the wheels though the hubs it should be straight as possible or the wheelswill wobble In the mousetrap car one axle acts like a pulley as the string is wrapped around it Thediameter of axle in relation to the diameter of the driving wheels is the mechanical advantage
Wheel ndash mousetrap car rolls on wheels this is the geometric shape of a circle This means you shouldunderstand terms such as diameter circumference radius pi rolling resistance and rotationalinertia I have used CDrsquos clear layers and cottage cheese lids for wheels
Large Wheels ndash using really large diameterdrive wheels gives even larger mechanicaladvantage for greater distance
Bearing ndash this is the contactpoint between the turning axleand the attachment to thechassis the less friction in thebearings the more eicient themousetrap car With too muchfriction in the bearings themousetrap the mousetrapmight not even move or stoprepeatedly
Lever Arm
The lever arm extends from the mousetrapspring as a lever to pull the string Threemajor considerations for the lever arm
Material it should be very sti but light inweight Attaching to the mousetrap spring thereis a great deal of force where the lever armis attached to the spring The length of the lever arm is importantthe longer the arm the more line can bepulled through and mousetrap car shouldgo farther
The lever arm on this car is made from a square stock of a hard wood originally I started withbalsa with a T-joint but students were breaking the balsa Aer handling delicate balsa structures inmodel airplanes it was not a problem for me
Torque and Lever Arm Calculations for a Mousetrap Car
Torque has been defined either as a twisting force or the tendency to rotate around an axis Acommon example of torque is tightening a bolt with a wrench To know how much torque is beingapplied to a bolt a mechanics will oen use a special type of wrench known as a ldquotorque wrenchrdquo so aspecified amount of torque can be applied to a bolt
The formula for torque is very simple if the force is applied perpendicular to the lever Torque =radius x force Normally units of torque are foot pounds or newton meters This equation gives thetorque applied to the pivot point this is the mechanical advantage concept
I have been thinking more about how math could be used to predict an outcome To start with amousetrap car if you could calculate what force is available at the end of the lever arm based on thetorque at the axis it would give you some idea on how much force is available to propel the mousetrapcar It is also interesting to see how the force decreases as the spring unwinds
For a mousetrap car that will go a long distance the lever arm needs to be longer to pull more line thatis wrapped around the driving axle From these calculations it can be easily seen that the amount offorce available rapidly diminishes as the length of the lever arm increases
To me it is also interesting if you can measure calculated outcomes and think about the reasons forinaccuracies For this experiment inaccuracy was related to the spring scale I was using and how I wasusing it Doc Fizzix sells a torsion wheel to measure the torque of the mousetrap spring Link toTorsion Wheel product
For my experiment I measured the force in grams at 4 centimeters from the axis at 25 90 and 180degrees I then measured at 28 centimeters from the axis and then calculated what the force shouldbe based on the measurements at 4 centimeters Measurements were also taken at 28 centimeters soa comparison could be done between the calculated and the measured Fairly close results
GFCM is the torque dividing by the radius gives the force Example 1600 28 = 5714 3200 28 =11429 and 4400 28 = 15714
Above are the comparisons of the measurements and the calculations which appear in red
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 25 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 90 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 180 Degrees
The concept of torque is also important in flight like in this quadcopter checkout my article Basic Quadcopters
Notes on Units
Many times formulas are based on units other than those you have collected your data with Myspring scale does display Newtons also but grams are a much smaller unit which helps in taking moreaccurate measurement
For Example to Compute the Potential Energy of Torsional Spring conversion to Newtons metersand radians are needed
1 gram = 0098 Newtons
Radians = (degrees π) 180
1 centimeter = 01 meters
1 joule = force of 1 Newton through a distance of 1 meter
Blog Article 10-10-2017 Mousetrap Car Demonstration at Nursing Home
Doc Fizzix Mousetrap Car Kits
$1595
The EnforcerRubber Band
Shop now
$1595
Basic MousetrapCar Kit by
Shop now
$895
Little MoeMousetrap Car
Shop now
60 thoughts on ldquoMousetrap Carsrdquo
56
adidas f50adizeromessi
Your work is quite good
April 29 2014 at 232 pm
Anonymous
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssssssss
January 20 2015 at 1141 am
Jam2033
It was pretty good
May 4 2017 at 111 am
Anonymous
Excellent source of student language information Great project for my 5th gradestudents Excellent job
May 12 2014 at 930 am
DFB trikot2014
Awsome site I am loving it Will come back again I am taking your feeds also
May 30 2014 at 509 pm
snazzynazzy
I LOVE THIS WEBSITE I USED IT FOR MY PRIMARY CLASSES
August 14 2014 at 856 pm
Wolf
What is a primary class -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 457 pm
Wolf
Thanks for this info sadly for our project we canrsquot use kits But what do yourecommend for the axles I have been having trouble with them -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 456 pm
Bill Kuhl
If you look at my design for mousetrap car I used coat hanger wire try to findstraight sections Better kits use brass tubing Then you need a hub on mydesign I cut sections of rubber tarp strap and drilled a hole in it For bearing Iused the metal screw eyes
September 11 2014 at 509 pm
hi
very goo I got our mouse trap car idea from this website thanks mr miller these aregreat ideas
September 18 2014 at 344 pm
Anonymous
this is so awesome broski
October 16 2014 at 242 pm
Anonymous
this website is so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
allie
so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
liv
Soooooooo helpfullllll Actually it really showed me what I could do for my own
March 30 2015 at 1240 pm
Anonymous
Thanks for creating this This is pretty Helpful
January 13 2015 at 252 pm
Anonymous
Its helpful because even when ur building one in science
January 14 2015 at 1012 am
Nobody
SO AWESOME
March 6 2015 at 1055 am
Anonymous
thats really cool i like it great job
March 30 2015 at 943 am
Damian
that is really cool
March 30 2015 at 948 am
Anonymous
great i love it
May 8 2015 at 1111 am
Bod
l love it so much i mad 24 cars i love the experiences it is life changing
May 8 2015 at 1113 am
May 11 2015 at 909 am
Anonymous
cool
Jenna
Excuse me I love your work but could you please tell me when you published thisarticle Thank you
August 31 2015 at 500 pm
Bill Kuhl
This webpage on mousetrap cars was redone last year I had a somewhat dierentwebpage for several years
August 31 2015 at 923 pm
Crush
How do you true the wheels axels and attach-point on the chassis Despite all myeorts the wheels and chassis still have wobble to them and the car doesnrsquot drivein a straight line I found it very diicult to get everything centered and aligned onall axis
October 13 2015 at 1145 pm
Bill Kuhl
Crush that was a good question Wheel wobble has to to do with how straight andsolid the hub axle joint is You need to make sure the wheel to the axle isperpendicular that is like a ldquoTrdquo The axle alignment with the chassis of the car hasto be that way also Some method of adjusting the steering and then setting it maybe desirable On my design I used the screw eyes in a way small adjustments couldbe done on the tracking Some Doc Fizzix cars pivot the front axle and then allowyou to tighten it down
October 14 2015 at 811 am
very helpful got an A on my project and im in 7th grade
October 19 2015 at 156 pm
a 7th gradernamedjacob
Bill Kuhl
Thank you Jacob in 7th grade it makes my eort seem worthwhile
October 19 2015 at 223 pm
Michel
Over-tightening could be in the same way harmful because under-tighteningExamples include motors as well as equipment assemblies
November 15 2015 at 207 am
KilenTora
This was a great help for me in science or I probably would of failed science Verydescriptive and easy to understand as well Thank you
January 4 2016 at 945 pm
JeerySmogelton
This is the best website I have ever seen OMG
February 1 2016 at 1032 am
Bill Kuhl
Mousetrap McGee somehow I doubt you are building a mousetrap car every 4hours but I canrsquot stop laughing reading your comment
February 12 2016 at 823 am
Do yuo doubt me I got over 700 hundred and countingg I typing with onehand becuase Irsquom making mousetrap cars with the other Irsquom beginnning to
March 4 2016 at 814 am
MousetrapMcGee
think I hava problem Please help me bill your my only hope 0
Halal
i like your thinking
-wolf
April 11 2016 at 610 pm
MousetrapMcGee
I used to not know how to make a mousetrap car This article has changes my lifeNow I make a mousetrap car every 4 hours This article has brought meaning to mylife Great Googly Moogly I never realized how awe-inspiring mousetrap cars canbe Golly Josh Darn it why didnrsquot I find this page before Now my warehouse hasapproximately 352 mousetrap cars and counting 0
February 12 2016 at 813 am
Ken M
These mousetrap cars have ruined my life I worked with my son to make one andhe proceeded to show his friends Now the whole neighborhood is littered withthese things I have gotten several complaints and even threatened with a lawsuitfrom my neighbors for harassment and assault from the injuries inquired from themouse trap Every morning I wake and slip on a mousetrap car down the stairs Ihave been to the hospital three times and my wife threatens to leave me Lastweekend a mousetrap car took my job and I am on the verge of losing my homeWhy hasnrsquot Obama stepped in to clean this mess up The federal government failsitrsquos citizens once again
March 9 2016 at 1050 am
Fat Fart
Yoursquore a legend
April 4 2016 at 1053 am
September 21 2017 at 1059 am
NoybNoybie
im screaming is this real
Alex
Irsquom planning to use this idea for a summer camp If I have the kids from 9am to4pm is this a 1 day project Or multi-days
March 19 2016 at 925 am
Bill Kuhl
I have been doing it within one 1 12 hour class This didnrsquot give much time torun the cars
March 19 2016 at 319 pm
me
this is good
March 31 2016 at 812 am
a person
this site was helpful
April 20 2016 at 731 am
Anonymous
legendary
April 22 2016 at 1112 am
May 3 2016 at 1230 pm
oicial_lover_of_mousetrap_cars
I made 500000 mousetrap cars and counting I have been making them since lastyear and I absolutely love them I have caught around 100000 mice from my houseand garage in total
hunter
100000 you say Seems quite excessive donrsquot you think
September 7 2017 at 1117 am
Eliza
May 10 2016 at 1227 pm
Cammie
Thatrsquos not just logic Thatrsquos really senbesli
July 17 2016 at 935 pm
Anonymous
very helpful thanks
July 20 2016 at 802 pm
Gerald
very helpful thank you for your help
July 20 2016 at 803 pm
Sarah
Thank you I am trying to reference this site can you tell me the date this page wascreated
August 25 2016 at 745 pm
Bill Kuhl
From the editor I see Published on Dec 13 2013 1136
Bill Kuhl
August 26 2016 at 1237 pm
Pingback 31Aug ndash Term1 Day18 ndash cvintroengcar
Anonomus
Realy helpful best site there is 3
October 24 2016 at 744 am
A BoardIndividual
The only truly good website for mousetrap cars there is good for science fairprojects 3
December 20 2016 at 650 am
Anonymous
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 339 pm
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 341 pm
minimuinninja
Lyn
Good article
June 8 2017 at 1248 pm
Mico
Hello there Maybe you could help me solve a problem on mousetrap car Do youhave any idea on how to turn the wheel of a mousetrap car The problem is weneed to avoid an obstacle 1 meter away and should get back to the line of distancefrom where my car starts The longest distance the car traveled from the obstacle isthe winner The vehicle must start from behind a start-line and then clear anobstacle as it travels the longest possible distance in the longitudinal directionfrom the start line The device must come to a rest as close as possible to a pointdirectly inline from its start location (ie minimise the transverse distance)
August 21 2017 at 404 am
Bill Kuhl
There was a rubber powered event that had to go around an obstacle but youcould make the steering adjustable to a fixed setting and then curve around theobstacle As far as stopping at a certain point there is a Doc Fizzix car like thatwhich uses a threaded rod and a wingnut One side of the wingnut goes in achannel You adjust where wingnut starts and when it gets to one side it stopsthe car
August 21 2017 at 940 am
Mamcee
-This Is Epic I Got Everything I Needed hellip THANK Yu
September 16 2017 at 1129 am
Third Law ndash for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction in the mousetrap car the wheelspush down on the floor and the floor pushes up on the _________
Relate This to Real World Example
Check out my blog post Newtonrsquos Laws and the Hybrid Car
Terminology Acceleration ndash most of the mousetrap car lab exercises I have seen deal with total distance andmeasuring acceleration
Acceleration = rate of change in velocity
Velocity = rate an object changes position (vector quantity)
Force = Mass x Acceleration
Note Speed and Velocity are not the same
Speed = rate that an object covers a distance (scalar quantity) Average Speed is just distance dividedby time think miles per hour
The faster the car is accelerating the larger the force but the larger the mass the larger the resistancewill be to the acceleration Think of how a large truck or a train is slower accelerating than anautomobile
Work ndash Power ndash Energy
Work is done when a force acting on an object causes a displacement of the object (it moves)
Power the rate which work is done Power = Work Time standard metric unit of power is the watt Fora long distance mousetrap Low Power is desirable work should be done over long period of time
Energy standard definition is ldquothe ability to do workrdquo this might not be too helpful There are severalforms of energy and oen one form of energy can be converted to another In the mousetrap car thepotential energy in the wound spring (elastic energy) moves the mousetrap car converting to kineticenergy
Constructing the Mousetrap Car
Understanding the physics of the mousetrap car should help in designing a more eicient operatingmousetrap car In building the mousetrap car you need to understand the basic components needed
Chassis ndash frame of the car to which the other components attach to For the mousetrap car it shouldbe rigid yet lightweight The first car I built I used a framework of bamboo which required additionalbracing as the tension of the mousetrap pulling on the string across the length of the chassis wascausing it to twist The next generation of mousetrap cars was built from balsa wood and the currentgeneration use a chassis made from a foam block
In the first prototypes of the bamboo mousetrap
car I noticed that the chassis was twisting from
the force of the lever arm pulling on the rear
axle
Bracing was added to stien the chassis
which solved the problem When the
chassis twisted it caused the car to turn
one direction
Hub ndash this the center of the wheel which attaches to the axle The hub should hold the axle in theexact center of the wheel and the sides of the hub should be exactly 90 degrees to the axle otherwisethe wheel will wobble
I made hubs from cutting squares from rubber tarp
straps and drilling hole through the center
Square hub is glued so as to cover
the hole
Faucet washers can fit in the hole of CDrsquos but I
found the ones purchased through Doc Fizzixrsquos fit
tighter
Faucet washers on Doc Fizzixrsquos
mousetrap car
DOC FIZZIX1728 CDDVD
Shop now
Axle ndash sha is attached to the wheels though the hubs it should be straight as possible or the wheelswill wobble In the mousetrap car one axle acts like a pulley as the string is wrapped around it Thediameter of axle in relation to the diameter of the driving wheels is the mechanical advantage
Wheel ndash mousetrap car rolls on wheels this is the geometric shape of a circle This means you shouldunderstand terms such as diameter circumference radius pi rolling resistance and rotationalinertia I have used CDrsquos clear layers and cottage cheese lids for wheels
Large Wheels ndash using really large diameterdrive wheels gives even larger mechanicaladvantage for greater distance
Bearing ndash this is the contactpoint between the turning axleand the attachment to thechassis the less friction in thebearings the more eicient themousetrap car With too muchfriction in the bearings themousetrap the mousetrapmight not even move or stoprepeatedly
Lever Arm
The lever arm extends from the mousetrapspring as a lever to pull the string Threemajor considerations for the lever arm
Material it should be very sti but light inweight Attaching to the mousetrap spring thereis a great deal of force where the lever armis attached to the spring The length of the lever arm is importantthe longer the arm the more line can bepulled through and mousetrap car shouldgo farther
The lever arm on this car is made from a square stock of a hard wood originally I started withbalsa with a T-joint but students were breaking the balsa Aer handling delicate balsa structures inmodel airplanes it was not a problem for me
Torque and Lever Arm Calculations for a Mousetrap Car
Torque has been defined either as a twisting force or the tendency to rotate around an axis Acommon example of torque is tightening a bolt with a wrench To know how much torque is beingapplied to a bolt a mechanics will oen use a special type of wrench known as a ldquotorque wrenchrdquo so aspecified amount of torque can be applied to a bolt
The formula for torque is very simple if the force is applied perpendicular to the lever Torque =radius x force Normally units of torque are foot pounds or newton meters This equation gives thetorque applied to the pivot point this is the mechanical advantage concept
I have been thinking more about how math could be used to predict an outcome To start with amousetrap car if you could calculate what force is available at the end of the lever arm based on thetorque at the axis it would give you some idea on how much force is available to propel the mousetrapcar It is also interesting to see how the force decreases as the spring unwinds
For a mousetrap car that will go a long distance the lever arm needs to be longer to pull more line thatis wrapped around the driving axle From these calculations it can be easily seen that the amount offorce available rapidly diminishes as the length of the lever arm increases
To me it is also interesting if you can measure calculated outcomes and think about the reasons forinaccuracies For this experiment inaccuracy was related to the spring scale I was using and how I wasusing it Doc Fizzix sells a torsion wheel to measure the torque of the mousetrap spring Link toTorsion Wheel product
For my experiment I measured the force in grams at 4 centimeters from the axis at 25 90 and 180degrees I then measured at 28 centimeters from the axis and then calculated what the force shouldbe based on the measurements at 4 centimeters Measurements were also taken at 28 centimeters soa comparison could be done between the calculated and the measured Fairly close results
GFCM is the torque dividing by the radius gives the force Example 1600 28 = 5714 3200 28 =11429 and 4400 28 = 15714
Above are the comparisons of the measurements and the calculations which appear in red
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 25 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 90 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 180 Degrees
The concept of torque is also important in flight like in this quadcopter checkout my article Basic Quadcopters
Notes on Units
Many times formulas are based on units other than those you have collected your data with Myspring scale does display Newtons also but grams are a much smaller unit which helps in taking moreaccurate measurement
For Example to Compute the Potential Energy of Torsional Spring conversion to Newtons metersand radians are needed
1 gram = 0098 Newtons
Radians = (degrees π) 180
1 centimeter = 01 meters
1 joule = force of 1 Newton through a distance of 1 meter
Blog Article 10-10-2017 Mousetrap Car Demonstration at Nursing Home
Doc Fizzix Mousetrap Car Kits
$1595
The EnforcerRubber Band
Shop now
$1595
Basic MousetrapCar Kit by
Shop now
$895
Little MoeMousetrap Car
Shop now
60 thoughts on ldquoMousetrap Carsrdquo
56
adidas f50adizeromessi
Your work is quite good
April 29 2014 at 232 pm
Anonymous
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssssssss
January 20 2015 at 1141 am
Jam2033
It was pretty good
May 4 2017 at 111 am
Anonymous
Excellent source of student language information Great project for my 5th gradestudents Excellent job
May 12 2014 at 930 am
DFB trikot2014
Awsome site I am loving it Will come back again I am taking your feeds also
May 30 2014 at 509 pm
snazzynazzy
I LOVE THIS WEBSITE I USED IT FOR MY PRIMARY CLASSES
August 14 2014 at 856 pm
Wolf
What is a primary class -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 457 pm
Wolf
Thanks for this info sadly for our project we canrsquot use kits But what do yourecommend for the axles I have been having trouble with them -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 456 pm
Bill Kuhl
If you look at my design for mousetrap car I used coat hanger wire try to findstraight sections Better kits use brass tubing Then you need a hub on mydesign I cut sections of rubber tarp strap and drilled a hole in it For bearing Iused the metal screw eyes
September 11 2014 at 509 pm
hi
very goo I got our mouse trap car idea from this website thanks mr miller these aregreat ideas
September 18 2014 at 344 pm
Anonymous
this is so awesome broski
October 16 2014 at 242 pm
Anonymous
this website is so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
allie
so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
liv
Soooooooo helpfullllll Actually it really showed me what I could do for my own
March 30 2015 at 1240 pm
Anonymous
Thanks for creating this This is pretty Helpful
January 13 2015 at 252 pm
Anonymous
Its helpful because even when ur building one in science
January 14 2015 at 1012 am
Nobody
SO AWESOME
March 6 2015 at 1055 am
Anonymous
thats really cool i like it great job
March 30 2015 at 943 am
Damian
that is really cool
March 30 2015 at 948 am
Anonymous
great i love it
May 8 2015 at 1111 am
Bod
l love it so much i mad 24 cars i love the experiences it is life changing
May 8 2015 at 1113 am
May 11 2015 at 909 am
Anonymous
cool
Jenna
Excuse me I love your work but could you please tell me when you published thisarticle Thank you
August 31 2015 at 500 pm
Bill Kuhl
This webpage on mousetrap cars was redone last year I had a somewhat dierentwebpage for several years
August 31 2015 at 923 pm
Crush
How do you true the wheels axels and attach-point on the chassis Despite all myeorts the wheels and chassis still have wobble to them and the car doesnrsquot drivein a straight line I found it very diicult to get everything centered and aligned onall axis
October 13 2015 at 1145 pm
Bill Kuhl
Crush that was a good question Wheel wobble has to to do with how straight andsolid the hub axle joint is You need to make sure the wheel to the axle isperpendicular that is like a ldquoTrdquo The axle alignment with the chassis of the car hasto be that way also Some method of adjusting the steering and then setting it maybe desirable On my design I used the screw eyes in a way small adjustments couldbe done on the tracking Some Doc Fizzix cars pivot the front axle and then allowyou to tighten it down
October 14 2015 at 811 am
very helpful got an A on my project and im in 7th grade
October 19 2015 at 156 pm
a 7th gradernamedjacob
Bill Kuhl
Thank you Jacob in 7th grade it makes my eort seem worthwhile
October 19 2015 at 223 pm
Michel
Over-tightening could be in the same way harmful because under-tighteningExamples include motors as well as equipment assemblies
November 15 2015 at 207 am
KilenTora
This was a great help for me in science or I probably would of failed science Verydescriptive and easy to understand as well Thank you
January 4 2016 at 945 pm
JeerySmogelton
This is the best website I have ever seen OMG
February 1 2016 at 1032 am
Bill Kuhl
Mousetrap McGee somehow I doubt you are building a mousetrap car every 4hours but I canrsquot stop laughing reading your comment
February 12 2016 at 823 am
Do yuo doubt me I got over 700 hundred and countingg I typing with onehand becuase Irsquom making mousetrap cars with the other Irsquom beginnning to
March 4 2016 at 814 am
MousetrapMcGee
think I hava problem Please help me bill your my only hope 0
Halal
i like your thinking
-wolf
April 11 2016 at 610 pm
MousetrapMcGee
I used to not know how to make a mousetrap car This article has changes my lifeNow I make a mousetrap car every 4 hours This article has brought meaning to mylife Great Googly Moogly I never realized how awe-inspiring mousetrap cars canbe Golly Josh Darn it why didnrsquot I find this page before Now my warehouse hasapproximately 352 mousetrap cars and counting 0
February 12 2016 at 813 am
Ken M
These mousetrap cars have ruined my life I worked with my son to make one andhe proceeded to show his friends Now the whole neighborhood is littered withthese things I have gotten several complaints and even threatened with a lawsuitfrom my neighbors for harassment and assault from the injuries inquired from themouse trap Every morning I wake and slip on a mousetrap car down the stairs Ihave been to the hospital three times and my wife threatens to leave me Lastweekend a mousetrap car took my job and I am on the verge of losing my homeWhy hasnrsquot Obama stepped in to clean this mess up The federal government failsitrsquos citizens once again
March 9 2016 at 1050 am
Fat Fart
Yoursquore a legend
April 4 2016 at 1053 am
September 21 2017 at 1059 am
NoybNoybie
im screaming is this real
Alex
Irsquom planning to use this idea for a summer camp If I have the kids from 9am to4pm is this a 1 day project Or multi-days
March 19 2016 at 925 am
Bill Kuhl
I have been doing it within one 1 12 hour class This didnrsquot give much time torun the cars
March 19 2016 at 319 pm
me
this is good
March 31 2016 at 812 am
a person
this site was helpful
April 20 2016 at 731 am
Anonymous
legendary
April 22 2016 at 1112 am
May 3 2016 at 1230 pm
oicial_lover_of_mousetrap_cars
I made 500000 mousetrap cars and counting I have been making them since lastyear and I absolutely love them I have caught around 100000 mice from my houseand garage in total
hunter
100000 you say Seems quite excessive donrsquot you think
September 7 2017 at 1117 am
Eliza
May 10 2016 at 1227 pm
Cammie
Thatrsquos not just logic Thatrsquos really senbesli
July 17 2016 at 935 pm
Anonymous
very helpful thanks
July 20 2016 at 802 pm
Gerald
very helpful thank you for your help
July 20 2016 at 803 pm
Sarah
Thank you I am trying to reference this site can you tell me the date this page wascreated
August 25 2016 at 745 pm
Bill Kuhl
From the editor I see Published on Dec 13 2013 1136
Bill Kuhl
August 26 2016 at 1237 pm
Pingback 31Aug ndash Term1 Day18 ndash cvintroengcar
Anonomus
Realy helpful best site there is 3
October 24 2016 at 744 am
A BoardIndividual
The only truly good website for mousetrap cars there is good for science fairprojects 3
December 20 2016 at 650 am
Anonymous
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 339 pm
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 341 pm
minimuinninja
Lyn
Good article
June 8 2017 at 1248 pm
Mico
Hello there Maybe you could help me solve a problem on mousetrap car Do youhave any idea on how to turn the wheel of a mousetrap car The problem is weneed to avoid an obstacle 1 meter away and should get back to the line of distancefrom where my car starts The longest distance the car traveled from the obstacle isthe winner The vehicle must start from behind a start-line and then clear anobstacle as it travels the longest possible distance in the longitudinal directionfrom the start line The device must come to a rest as close as possible to a pointdirectly inline from its start location (ie minimise the transverse distance)
August 21 2017 at 404 am
Bill Kuhl
There was a rubber powered event that had to go around an obstacle but youcould make the steering adjustable to a fixed setting and then curve around theobstacle As far as stopping at a certain point there is a Doc Fizzix car like thatwhich uses a threaded rod and a wingnut One side of the wingnut goes in achannel You adjust where wingnut starts and when it gets to one side it stopsthe car
August 21 2017 at 940 am
Mamcee
-This Is Epic I Got Everything I Needed hellip THANK Yu
September 16 2017 at 1129 am
Understanding the physics of the mousetrap car should help in designing a more eicient operatingmousetrap car In building the mousetrap car you need to understand the basic components needed
Chassis ndash frame of the car to which the other components attach to For the mousetrap car it shouldbe rigid yet lightweight The first car I built I used a framework of bamboo which required additionalbracing as the tension of the mousetrap pulling on the string across the length of the chassis wascausing it to twist The next generation of mousetrap cars was built from balsa wood and the currentgeneration use a chassis made from a foam block
In the first prototypes of the bamboo mousetrap
car I noticed that the chassis was twisting from
the force of the lever arm pulling on the rear
axle
Bracing was added to stien the chassis
which solved the problem When the
chassis twisted it caused the car to turn
one direction
Hub ndash this the center of the wheel which attaches to the axle The hub should hold the axle in theexact center of the wheel and the sides of the hub should be exactly 90 degrees to the axle otherwisethe wheel will wobble
I made hubs from cutting squares from rubber tarp
straps and drilling hole through the center
Square hub is glued so as to cover
the hole
Faucet washers can fit in the hole of CDrsquos but I
found the ones purchased through Doc Fizzixrsquos fit
tighter
Faucet washers on Doc Fizzixrsquos
mousetrap car
DOC FIZZIX1728 CDDVD
Shop now
Axle ndash sha is attached to the wheels though the hubs it should be straight as possible or the wheelswill wobble In the mousetrap car one axle acts like a pulley as the string is wrapped around it Thediameter of axle in relation to the diameter of the driving wheels is the mechanical advantage
Wheel ndash mousetrap car rolls on wheels this is the geometric shape of a circle This means you shouldunderstand terms such as diameter circumference radius pi rolling resistance and rotationalinertia I have used CDrsquos clear layers and cottage cheese lids for wheels
Large Wheels ndash using really large diameterdrive wheels gives even larger mechanicaladvantage for greater distance
Bearing ndash this is the contactpoint between the turning axleand the attachment to thechassis the less friction in thebearings the more eicient themousetrap car With too muchfriction in the bearings themousetrap the mousetrapmight not even move or stoprepeatedly
Lever Arm
The lever arm extends from the mousetrapspring as a lever to pull the string Threemajor considerations for the lever arm
Material it should be very sti but light inweight Attaching to the mousetrap spring thereis a great deal of force where the lever armis attached to the spring The length of the lever arm is importantthe longer the arm the more line can bepulled through and mousetrap car shouldgo farther
The lever arm on this car is made from a square stock of a hard wood originally I started withbalsa with a T-joint but students were breaking the balsa Aer handling delicate balsa structures inmodel airplanes it was not a problem for me
Torque and Lever Arm Calculations for a Mousetrap Car
Torque has been defined either as a twisting force or the tendency to rotate around an axis Acommon example of torque is tightening a bolt with a wrench To know how much torque is beingapplied to a bolt a mechanics will oen use a special type of wrench known as a ldquotorque wrenchrdquo so aspecified amount of torque can be applied to a bolt
The formula for torque is very simple if the force is applied perpendicular to the lever Torque =radius x force Normally units of torque are foot pounds or newton meters This equation gives thetorque applied to the pivot point this is the mechanical advantage concept
I have been thinking more about how math could be used to predict an outcome To start with amousetrap car if you could calculate what force is available at the end of the lever arm based on thetorque at the axis it would give you some idea on how much force is available to propel the mousetrapcar It is also interesting to see how the force decreases as the spring unwinds
For a mousetrap car that will go a long distance the lever arm needs to be longer to pull more line thatis wrapped around the driving axle From these calculations it can be easily seen that the amount offorce available rapidly diminishes as the length of the lever arm increases
To me it is also interesting if you can measure calculated outcomes and think about the reasons forinaccuracies For this experiment inaccuracy was related to the spring scale I was using and how I wasusing it Doc Fizzix sells a torsion wheel to measure the torque of the mousetrap spring Link toTorsion Wheel product
For my experiment I measured the force in grams at 4 centimeters from the axis at 25 90 and 180degrees I then measured at 28 centimeters from the axis and then calculated what the force shouldbe based on the measurements at 4 centimeters Measurements were also taken at 28 centimeters soa comparison could be done between the calculated and the measured Fairly close results
GFCM is the torque dividing by the radius gives the force Example 1600 28 = 5714 3200 28 =11429 and 4400 28 = 15714
Above are the comparisons of the measurements and the calculations which appear in red
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 25 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 90 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 180 Degrees
The concept of torque is also important in flight like in this quadcopter checkout my article Basic Quadcopters
Notes on Units
Many times formulas are based on units other than those you have collected your data with Myspring scale does display Newtons also but grams are a much smaller unit which helps in taking moreaccurate measurement
For Example to Compute the Potential Energy of Torsional Spring conversion to Newtons metersand radians are needed
1 gram = 0098 Newtons
Radians = (degrees π) 180
1 centimeter = 01 meters
1 joule = force of 1 Newton through a distance of 1 meter
Blog Article 10-10-2017 Mousetrap Car Demonstration at Nursing Home
Doc Fizzix Mousetrap Car Kits
$1595
The EnforcerRubber Band
Shop now
$1595
Basic MousetrapCar Kit by
Shop now
$895
Little MoeMousetrap Car
Shop now
60 thoughts on ldquoMousetrap Carsrdquo
56
adidas f50adizeromessi
Your work is quite good
April 29 2014 at 232 pm
Anonymous
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssssssss
January 20 2015 at 1141 am
Jam2033
It was pretty good
May 4 2017 at 111 am
Anonymous
Excellent source of student language information Great project for my 5th gradestudents Excellent job
May 12 2014 at 930 am
DFB trikot2014
Awsome site I am loving it Will come back again I am taking your feeds also
May 30 2014 at 509 pm
snazzynazzy
I LOVE THIS WEBSITE I USED IT FOR MY PRIMARY CLASSES
August 14 2014 at 856 pm
Wolf
What is a primary class -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 457 pm
Wolf
Thanks for this info sadly for our project we canrsquot use kits But what do yourecommend for the axles I have been having trouble with them -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 456 pm
Bill Kuhl
If you look at my design for mousetrap car I used coat hanger wire try to findstraight sections Better kits use brass tubing Then you need a hub on mydesign I cut sections of rubber tarp strap and drilled a hole in it For bearing Iused the metal screw eyes
September 11 2014 at 509 pm
hi
very goo I got our mouse trap car idea from this website thanks mr miller these aregreat ideas
September 18 2014 at 344 pm
Anonymous
this is so awesome broski
October 16 2014 at 242 pm
Anonymous
this website is so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
allie
so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
liv
Soooooooo helpfullllll Actually it really showed me what I could do for my own
March 30 2015 at 1240 pm
Anonymous
Thanks for creating this This is pretty Helpful
January 13 2015 at 252 pm
Anonymous
Its helpful because even when ur building one in science
January 14 2015 at 1012 am
Nobody
SO AWESOME
March 6 2015 at 1055 am
Anonymous
thats really cool i like it great job
March 30 2015 at 943 am
Damian
that is really cool
March 30 2015 at 948 am
Anonymous
great i love it
May 8 2015 at 1111 am
Bod
l love it so much i mad 24 cars i love the experiences it is life changing
May 8 2015 at 1113 am
May 11 2015 at 909 am
Anonymous
cool
Jenna
Excuse me I love your work but could you please tell me when you published thisarticle Thank you
August 31 2015 at 500 pm
Bill Kuhl
This webpage on mousetrap cars was redone last year I had a somewhat dierentwebpage for several years
August 31 2015 at 923 pm
Crush
How do you true the wheels axels and attach-point on the chassis Despite all myeorts the wheels and chassis still have wobble to them and the car doesnrsquot drivein a straight line I found it very diicult to get everything centered and aligned onall axis
October 13 2015 at 1145 pm
Bill Kuhl
Crush that was a good question Wheel wobble has to to do with how straight andsolid the hub axle joint is You need to make sure the wheel to the axle isperpendicular that is like a ldquoTrdquo The axle alignment with the chassis of the car hasto be that way also Some method of adjusting the steering and then setting it maybe desirable On my design I used the screw eyes in a way small adjustments couldbe done on the tracking Some Doc Fizzix cars pivot the front axle and then allowyou to tighten it down
October 14 2015 at 811 am
very helpful got an A on my project and im in 7th grade
October 19 2015 at 156 pm
a 7th gradernamedjacob
Bill Kuhl
Thank you Jacob in 7th grade it makes my eort seem worthwhile
October 19 2015 at 223 pm
Michel
Over-tightening could be in the same way harmful because under-tighteningExamples include motors as well as equipment assemblies
November 15 2015 at 207 am
KilenTora
This was a great help for me in science or I probably would of failed science Verydescriptive and easy to understand as well Thank you
January 4 2016 at 945 pm
JeerySmogelton
This is the best website I have ever seen OMG
February 1 2016 at 1032 am
Bill Kuhl
Mousetrap McGee somehow I doubt you are building a mousetrap car every 4hours but I canrsquot stop laughing reading your comment
February 12 2016 at 823 am
Do yuo doubt me I got over 700 hundred and countingg I typing with onehand becuase Irsquom making mousetrap cars with the other Irsquom beginnning to
March 4 2016 at 814 am
MousetrapMcGee
think I hava problem Please help me bill your my only hope 0
Halal
i like your thinking
-wolf
April 11 2016 at 610 pm
MousetrapMcGee
I used to not know how to make a mousetrap car This article has changes my lifeNow I make a mousetrap car every 4 hours This article has brought meaning to mylife Great Googly Moogly I never realized how awe-inspiring mousetrap cars canbe Golly Josh Darn it why didnrsquot I find this page before Now my warehouse hasapproximately 352 mousetrap cars and counting 0
February 12 2016 at 813 am
Ken M
These mousetrap cars have ruined my life I worked with my son to make one andhe proceeded to show his friends Now the whole neighborhood is littered withthese things I have gotten several complaints and even threatened with a lawsuitfrom my neighbors for harassment and assault from the injuries inquired from themouse trap Every morning I wake and slip on a mousetrap car down the stairs Ihave been to the hospital three times and my wife threatens to leave me Lastweekend a mousetrap car took my job and I am on the verge of losing my homeWhy hasnrsquot Obama stepped in to clean this mess up The federal government failsitrsquos citizens once again
March 9 2016 at 1050 am
Fat Fart
Yoursquore a legend
April 4 2016 at 1053 am
September 21 2017 at 1059 am
NoybNoybie
im screaming is this real
Alex
Irsquom planning to use this idea for a summer camp If I have the kids from 9am to4pm is this a 1 day project Or multi-days
March 19 2016 at 925 am
Bill Kuhl
I have been doing it within one 1 12 hour class This didnrsquot give much time torun the cars
March 19 2016 at 319 pm
me
this is good
March 31 2016 at 812 am
a person
this site was helpful
April 20 2016 at 731 am
Anonymous
legendary
April 22 2016 at 1112 am
May 3 2016 at 1230 pm
oicial_lover_of_mousetrap_cars
I made 500000 mousetrap cars and counting I have been making them since lastyear and I absolutely love them I have caught around 100000 mice from my houseand garage in total
hunter
100000 you say Seems quite excessive donrsquot you think
September 7 2017 at 1117 am
Eliza
May 10 2016 at 1227 pm
Cammie
Thatrsquos not just logic Thatrsquos really senbesli
July 17 2016 at 935 pm
Anonymous
very helpful thanks
July 20 2016 at 802 pm
Gerald
very helpful thank you for your help
July 20 2016 at 803 pm
Sarah
Thank you I am trying to reference this site can you tell me the date this page wascreated
August 25 2016 at 745 pm
Bill Kuhl
From the editor I see Published on Dec 13 2013 1136
Bill Kuhl
August 26 2016 at 1237 pm
Pingback 31Aug ndash Term1 Day18 ndash cvintroengcar
Anonomus
Realy helpful best site there is 3
October 24 2016 at 744 am
A BoardIndividual
The only truly good website for mousetrap cars there is good for science fairprojects 3
December 20 2016 at 650 am
Anonymous
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 339 pm
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 341 pm
minimuinninja
Lyn
Good article
June 8 2017 at 1248 pm
Mico
Hello there Maybe you could help me solve a problem on mousetrap car Do youhave any idea on how to turn the wheel of a mousetrap car The problem is weneed to avoid an obstacle 1 meter away and should get back to the line of distancefrom where my car starts The longest distance the car traveled from the obstacle isthe winner The vehicle must start from behind a start-line and then clear anobstacle as it travels the longest possible distance in the longitudinal directionfrom the start line The device must come to a rest as close as possible to a pointdirectly inline from its start location (ie minimise the transverse distance)
August 21 2017 at 404 am
Bill Kuhl
There was a rubber powered event that had to go around an obstacle but youcould make the steering adjustable to a fixed setting and then curve around theobstacle As far as stopping at a certain point there is a Doc Fizzix car like thatwhich uses a threaded rod and a wingnut One side of the wingnut goes in achannel You adjust where wingnut starts and when it gets to one side it stopsthe car
August 21 2017 at 940 am
Mamcee
-This Is Epic I Got Everything I Needed hellip THANK Yu
September 16 2017 at 1129 am
I made hubs from cutting squares from rubber tarp
straps and drilling hole through the center
Square hub is glued so as to cover
the hole
Faucet washers can fit in the hole of CDrsquos but I
found the ones purchased through Doc Fizzixrsquos fit
tighter
Faucet washers on Doc Fizzixrsquos
mousetrap car
DOC FIZZIX1728 CDDVD
Shop now
Axle ndash sha is attached to the wheels though the hubs it should be straight as possible or the wheelswill wobble In the mousetrap car one axle acts like a pulley as the string is wrapped around it Thediameter of axle in relation to the diameter of the driving wheels is the mechanical advantage
Wheel ndash mousetrap car rolls on wheels this is the geometric shape of a circle This means you shouldunderstand terms such as diameter circumference radius pi rolling resistance and rotationalinertia I have used CDrsquos clear layers and cottage cheese lids for wheels
Large Wheels ndash using really large diameterdrive wheels gives even larger mechanicaladvantage for greater distance
Bearing ndash this is the contactpoint between the turning axleand the attachment to thechassis the less friction in thebearings the more eicient themousetrap car With too muchfriction in the bearings themousetrap the mousetrapmight not even move or stoprepeatedly
Lever Arm
The lever arm extends from the mousetrapspring as a lever to pull the string Threemajor considerations for the lever arm
Material it should be very sti but light inweight Attaching to the mousetrap spring thereis a great deal of force where the lever armis attached to the spring The length of the lever arm is importantthe longer the arm the more line can bepulled through and mousetrap car shouldgo farther
The lever arm on this car is made from a square stock of a hard wood originally I started withbalsa with a T-joint but students were breaking the balsa Aer handling delicate balsa structures inmodel airplanes it was not a problem for me
Torque and Lever Arm Calculations for a Mousetrap Car
Torque has been defined either as a twisting force or the tendency to rotate around an axis Acommon example of torque is tightening a bolt with a wrench To know how much torque is beingapplied to a bolt a mechanics will oen use a special type of wrench known as a ldquotorque wrenchrdquo so aspecified amount of torque can be applied to a bolt
The formula for torque is very simple if the force is applied perpendicular to the lever Torque =radius x force Normally units of torque are foot pounds or newton meters This equation gives thetorque applied to the pivot point this is the mechanical advantage concept
I have been thinking more about how math could be used to predict an outcome To start with amousetrap car if you could calculate what force is available at the end of the lever arm based on thetorque at the axis it would give you some idea on how much force is available to propel the mousetrapcar It is also interesting to see how the force decreases as the spring unwinds
For a mousetrap car that will go a long distance the lever arm needs to be longer to pull more line thatis wrapped around the driving axle From these calculations it can be easily seen that the amount offorce available rapidly diminishes as the length of the lever arm increases
To me it is also interesting if you can measure calculated outcomes and think about the reasons forinaccuracies For this experiment inaccuracy was related to the spring scale I was using and how I wasusing it Doc Fizzix sells a torsion wheel to measure the torque of the mousetrap spring Link toTorsion Wheel product
For my experiment I measured the force in grams at 4 centimeters from the axis at 25 90 and 180degrees I then measured at 28 centimeters from the axis and then calculated what the force shouldbe based on the measurements at 4 centimeters Measurements were also taken at 28 centimeters soa comparison could be done between the calculated and the measured Fairly close results
GFCM is the torque dividing by the radius gives the force Example 1600 28 = 5714 3200 28 =11429 and 4400 28 = 15714
Above are the comparisons of the measurements and the calculations which appear in red
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 25 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 90 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 180 Degrees
The concept of torque is also important in flight like in this quadcopter checkout my article Basic Quadcopters
Notes on Units
Many times formulas are based on units other than those you have collected your data with Myspring scale does display Newtons also but grams are a much smaller unit which helps in taking moreaccurate measurement
For Example to Compute the Potential Energy of Torsional Spring conversion to Newtons metersand radians are needed
1 gram = 0098 Newtons
Radians = (degrees π) 180
1 centimeter = 01 meters
1 joule = force of 1 Newton through a distance of 1 meter
Blog Article 10-10-2017 Mousetrap Car Demonstration at Nursing Home
Doc Fizzix Mousetrap Car Kits
$1595
The EnforcerRubber Band
Shop now
$1595
Basic MousetrapCar Kit by
Shop now
$895
Little MoeMousetrap Car
Shop now
60 thoughts on ldquoMousetrap Carsrdquo
56
adidas f50adizeromessi
Your work is quite good
April 29 2014 at 232 pm
Anonymous
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssssssss
January 20 2015 at 1141 am
Jam2033
It was pretty good
May 4 2017 at 111 am
Anonymous
Excellent source of student language information Great project for my 5th gradestudents Excellent job
May 12 2014 at 930 am
DFB trikot2014
Awsome site I am loving it Will come back again I am taking your feeds also
May 30 2014 at 509 pm
snazzynazzy
I LOVE THIS WEBSITE I USED IT FOR MY PRIMARY CLASSES
August 14 2014 at 856 pm
Wolf
What is a primary class -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 457 pm
Wolf
Thanks for this info sadly for our project we canrsquot use kits But what do yourecommend for the axles I have been having trouble with them -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 456 pm
Bill Kuhl
If you look at my design for mousetrap car I used coat hanger wire try to findstraight sections Better kits use brass tubing Then you need a hub on mydesign I cut sections of rubber tarp strap and drilled a hole in it For bearing Iused the metal screw eyes
September 11 2014 at 509 pm
hi
very goo I got our mouse trap car idea from this website thanks mr miller these aregreat ideas
September 18 2014 at 344 pm
Anonymous
this is so awesome broski
October 16 2014 at 242 pm
Anonymous
this website is so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
allie
so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
liv
Soooooooo helpfullllll Actually it really showed me what I could do for my own
March 30 2015 at 1240 pm
Anonymous
Thanks for creating this This is pretty Helpful
January 13 2015 at 252 pm
Anonymous
Its helpful because even when ur building one in science
January 14 2015 at 1012 am
Nobody
SO AWESOME
March 6 2015 at 1055 am
Anonymous
thats really cool i like it great job
March 30 2015 at 943 am
Damian
that is really cool
March 30 2015 at 948 am
Anonymous
great i love it
May 8 2015 at 1111 am
Bod
l love it so much i mad 24 cars i love the experiences it is life changing
May 8 2015 at 1113 am
May 11 2015 at 909 am
Anonymous
cool
Jenna
Excuse me I love your work but could you please tell me when you published thisarticle Thank you
August 31 2015 at 500 pm
Bill Kuhl
This webpage on mousetrap cars was redone last year I had a somewhat dierentwebpage for several years
August 31 2015 at 923 pm
Crush
How do you true the wheels axels and attach-point on the chassis Despite all myeorts the wheels and chassis still have wobble to them and the car doesnrsquot drivein a straight line I found it very diicult to get everything centered and aligned onall axis
October 13 2015 at 1145 pm
Bill Kuhl
Crush that was a good question Wheel wobble has to to do with how straight andsolid the hub axle joint is You need to make sure the wheel to the axle isperpendicular that is like a ldquoTrdquo The axle alignment with the chassis of the car hasto be that way also Some method of adjusting the steering and then setting it maybe desirable On my design I used the screw eyes in a way small adjustments couldbe done on the tracking Some Doc Fizzix cars pivot the front axle and then allowyou to tighten it down
October 14 2015 at 811 am
very helpful got an A on my project and im in 7th grade
October 19 2015 at 156 pm
a 7th gradernamedjacob
Bill Kuhl
Thank you Jacob in 7th grade it makes my eort seem worthwhile
October 19 2015 at 223 pm
Michel
Over-tightening could be in the same way harmful because under-tighteningExamples include motors as well as equipment assemblies
November 15 2015 at 207 am
KilenTora
This was a great help for me in science or I probably would of failed science Verydescriptive and easy to understand as well Thank you
January 4 2016 at 945 pm
JeerySmogelton
This is the best website I have ever seen OMG
February 1 2016 at 1032 am
Bill Kuhl
Mousetrap McGee somehow I doubt you are building a mousetrap car every 4hours but I canrsquot stop laughing reading your comment
February 12 2016 at 823 am
Do yuo doubt me I got over 700 hundred and countingg I typing with onehand becuase Irsquom making mousetrap cars with the other Irsquom beginnning to
March 4 2016 at 814 am
MousetrapMcGee
think I hava problem Please help me bill your my only hope 0
Halal
i like your thinking
-wolf
April 11 2016 at 610 pm
MousetrapMcGee
I used to not know how to make a mousetrap car This article has changes my lifeNow I make a mousetrap car every 4 hours This article has brought meaning to mylife Great Googly Moogly I never realized how awe-inspiring mousetrap cars canbe Golly Josh Darn it why didnrsquot I find this page before Now my warehouse hasapproximately 352 mousetrap cars and counting 0
February 12 2016 at 813 am
Ken M
These mousetrap cars have ruined my life I worked with my son to make one andhe proceeded to show his friends Now the whole neighborhood is littered withthese things I have gotten several complaints and even threatened with a lawsuitfrom my neighbors for harassment and assault from the injuries inquired from themouse trap Every morning I wake and slip on a mousetrap car down the stairs Ihave been to the hospital three times and my wife threatens to leave me Lastweekend a mousetrap car took my job and I am on the verge of losing my homeWhy hasnrsquot Obama stepped in to clean this mess up The federal government failsitrsquos citizens once again
March 9 2016 at 1050 am
Fat Fart
Yoursquore a legend
April 4 2016 at 1053 am
September 21 2017 at 1059 am
NoybNoybie
im screaming is this real
Alex
Irsquom planning to use this idea for a summer camp If I have the kids from 9am to4pm is this a 1 day project Or multi-days
March 19 2016 at 925 am
Bill Kuhl
I have been doing it within one 1 12 hour class This didnrsquot give much time torun the cars
March 19 2016 at 319 pm
me
this is good
March 31 2016 at 812 am
a person
this site was helpful
April 20 2016 at 731 am
Anonymous
legendary
April 22 2016 at 1112 am
May 3 2016 at 1230 pm
oicial_lover_of_mousetrap_cars
I made 500000 mousetrap cars and counting I have been making them since lastyear and I absolutely love them I have caught around 100000 mice from my houseand garage in total
hunter
100000 you say Seems quite excessive donrsquot you think
September 7 2017 at 1117 am
Eliza
May 10 2016 at 1227 pm
Cammie
Thatrsquos not just logic Thatrsquos really senbesli
July 17 2016 at 935 pm
Anonymous
very helpful thanks
July 20 2016 at 802 pm
Gerald
very helpful thank you for your help
July 20 2016 at 803 pm
Sarah
Thank you I am trying to reference this site can you tell me the date this page wascreated
August 25 2016 at 745 pm
Bill Kuhl
From the editor I see Published on Dec 13 2013 1136
Bill Kuhl
August 26 2016 at 1237 pm
Pingback 31Aug ndash Term1 Day18 ndash cvintroengcar
Anonomus
Realy helpful best site there is 3
October 24 2016 at 744 am
A BoardIndividual
The only truly good website for mousetrap cars there is good for science fairprojects 3
December 20 2016 at 650 am
Anonymous
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 339 pm
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 341 pm
minimuinninja
Lyn
Good article
June 8 2017 at 1248 pm
Mico
Hello there Maybe you could help me solve a problem on mousetrap car Do youhave any idea on how to turn the wheel of a mousetrap car The problem is weneed to avoid an obstacle 1 meter away and should get back to the line of distancefrom where my car starts The longest distance the car traveled from the obstacle isthe winner The vehicle must start from behind a start-line and then clear anobstacle as it travels the longest possible distance in the longitudinal directionfrom the start line The device must come to a rest as close as possible to a pointdirectly inline from its start location (ie minimise the transverse distance)
August 21 2017 at 404 am
Bill Kuhl
There was a rubber powered event that had to go around an obstacle but youcould make the steering adjustable to a fixed setting and then curve around theobstacle As far as stopping at a certain point there is a Doc Fizzix car like thatwhich uses a threaded rod and a wingnut One side of the wingnut goes in achannel You adjust where wingnut starts and when it gets to one side it stopsthe car
August 21 2017 at 940 am
Mamcee
-This Is Epic I Got Everything I Needed hellip THANK Yu
September 16 2017 at 1129 am
Wheel ndash mousetrap car rolls on wheels this is the geometric shape of a circle This means you shouldunderstand terms such as diameter circumference radius pi rolling resistance and rotationalinertia I have used CDrsquos clear layers and cottage cheese lids for wheels
Large Wheels ndash using really large diameterdrive wheels gives even larger mechanicaladvantage for greater distance
Bearing ndash this is the contactpoint between the turning axleand the attachment to thechassis the less friction in thebearings the more eicient themousetrap car With too muchfriction in the bearings themousetrap the mousetrapmight not even move or stoprepeatedly
Lever Arm
The lever arm extends from the mousetrapspring as a lever to pull the string Threemajor considerations for the lever arm
Material it should be very sti but light inweight Attaching to the mousetrap spring thereis a great deal of force where the lever armis attached to the spring The length of the lever arm is importantthe longer the arm the more line can bepulled through and mousetrap car shouldgo farther
The lever arm on this car is made from a square stock of a hard wood originally I started withbalsa with a T-joint but students were breaking the balsa Aer handling delicate balsa structures inmodel airplanes it was not a problem for me
Torque and Lever Arm Calculations for a Mousetrap Car
Torque has been defined either as a twisting force or the tendency to rotate around an axis Acommon example of torque is tightening a bolt with a wrench To know how much torque is beingapplied to a bolt a mechanics will oen use a special type of wrench known as a ldquotorque wrenchrdquo so aspecified amount of torque can be applied to a bolt
The formula for torque is very simple if the force is applied perpendicular to the lever Torque =radius x force Normally units of torque are foot pounds or newton meters This equation gives thetorque applied to the pivot point this is the mechanical advantage concept
I have been thinking more about how math could be used to predict an outcome To start with amousetrap car if you could calculate what force is available at the end of the lever arm based on thetorque at the axis it would give you some idea on how much force is available to propel the mousetrapcar It is also interesting to see how the force decreases as the spring unwinds
For a mousetrap car that will go a long distance the lever arm needs to be longer to pull more line thatis wrapped around the driving axle From these calculations it can be easily seen that the amount offorce available rapidly diminishes as the length of the lever arm increases
To me it is also interesting if you can measure calculated outcomes and think about the reasons forinaccuracies For this experiment inaccuracy was related to the spring scale I was using and how I wasusing it Doc Fizzix sells a torsion wheel to measure the torque of the mousetrap spring Link toTorsion Wheel product
For my experiment I measured the force in grams at 4 centimeters from the axis at 25 90 and 180degrees I then measured at 28 centimeters from the axis and then calculated what the force shouldbe based on the measurements at 4 centimeters Measurements were also taken at 28 centimeters soa comparison could be done between the calculated and the measured Fairly close results
GFCM is the torque dividing by the radius gives the force Example 1600 28 = 5714 3200 28 =11429 and 4400 28 = 15714
Above are the comparisons of the measurements and the calculations which appear in red
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 25 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 90 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 180 Degrees
The concept of torque is also important in flight like in this quadcopter checkout my article Basic Quadcopters
Notes on Units
Many times formulas are based on units other than those you have collected your data with Myspring scale does display Newtons also but grams are a much smaller unit which helps in taking moreaccurate measurement
For Example to Compute the Potential Energy of Torsional Spring conversion to Newtons metersand radians are needed
1 gram = 0098 Newtons
Radians = (degrees π) 180
1 centimeter = 01 meters
1 joule = force of 1 Newton through a distance of 1 meter
Blog Article 10-10-2017 Mousetrap Car Demonstration at Nursing Home
Doc Fizzix Mousetrap Car Kits
$1595
The EnforcerRubber Band
Shop now
$1595
Basic MousetrapCar Kit by
Shop now
$895
Little MoeMousetrap Car
Shop now
60 thoughts on ldquoMousetrap Carsrdquo
56
adidas f50adizeromessi
Your work is quite good
April 29 2014 at 232 pm
Anonymous
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssssssss
January 20 2015 at 1141 am
Jam2033
It was pretty good
May 4 2017 at 111 am
Anonymous
Excellent source of student language information Great project for my 5th gradestudents Excellent job
May 12 2014 at 930 am
DFB trikot2014
Awsome site I am loving it Will come back again I am taking your feeds also
May 30 2014 at 509 pm
snazzynazzy
I LOVE THIS WEBSITE I USED IT FOR MY PRIMARY CLASSES
August 14 2014 at 856 pm
Wolf
What is a primary class -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 457 pm
Wolf
Thanks for this info sadly for our project we canrsquot use kits But what do yourecommend for the axles I have been having trouble with them -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 456 pm
Bill Kuhl
If you look at my design for mousetrap car I used coat hanger wire try to findstraight sections Better kits use brass tubing Then you need a hub on mydesign I cut sections of rubber tarp strap and drilled a hole in it For bearing Iused the metal screw eyes
September 11 2014 at 509 pm
hi
very goo I got our mouse trap car idea from this website thanks mr miller these aregreat ideas
September 18 2014 at 344 pm
Anonymous
this is so awesome broski
October 16 2014 at 242 pm
Anonymous
this website is so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
allie
so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
liv
Soooooooo helpfullllll Actually it really showed me what I could do for my own
March 30 2015 at 1240 pm
Anonymous
Thanks for creating this This is pretty Helpful
January 13 2015 at 252 pm
Anonymous
Its helpful because even when ur building one in science
January 14 2015 at 1012 am
Nobody
SO AWESOME
March 6 2015 at 1055 am
Anonymous
thats really cool i like it great job
March 30 2015 at 943 am
Damian
that is really cool
March 30 2015 at 948 am
Anonymous
great i love it
May 8 2015 at 1111 am
Bod
l love it so much i mad 24 cars i love the experiences it is life changing
May 8 2015 at 1113 am
May 11 2015 at 909 am
Anonymous
cool
Jenna
Excuse me I love your work but could you please tell me when you published thisarticle Thank you
August 31 2015 at 500 pm
Bill Kuhl
This webpage on mousetrap cars was redone last year I had a somewhat dierentwebpage for several years
August 31 2015 at 923 pm
Crush
How do you true the wheels axels and attach-point on the chassis Despite all myeorts the wheels and chassis still have wobble to them and the car doesnrsquot drivein a straight line I found it very diicult to get everything centered and aligned onall axis
October 13 2015 at 1145 pm
Bill Kuhl
Crush that was a good question Wheel wobble has to to do with how straight andsolid the hub axle joint is You need to make sure the wheel to the axle isperpendicular that is like a ldquoTrdquo The axle alignment with the chassis of the car hasto be that way also Some method of adjusting the steering and then setting it maybe desirable On my design I used the screw eyes in a way small adjustments couldbe done on the tracking Some Doc Fizzix cars pivot the front axle and then allowyou to tighten it down
October 14 2015 at 811 am
very helpful got an A on my project and im in 7th grade
October 19 2015 at 156 pm
a 7th gradernamedjacob
Bill Kuhl
Thank you Jacob in 7th grade it makes my eort seem worthwhile
October 19 2015 at 223 pm
Michel
Over-tightening could be in the same way harmful because under-tighteningExamples include motors as well as equipment assemblies
November 15 2015 at 207 am
KilenTora
This was a great help for me in science or I probably would of failed science Verydescriptive and easy to understand as well Thank you
January 4 2016 at 945 pm
JeerySmogelton
This is the best website I have ever seen OMG
February 1 2016 at 1032 am
Bill Kuhl
Mousetrap McGee somehow I doubt you are building a mousetrap car every 4hours but I canrsquot stop laughing reading your comment
February 12 2016 at 823 am
Do yuo doubt me I got over 700 hundred and countingg I typing with onehand becuase Irsquom making mousetrap cars with the other Irsquom beginnning to
March 4 2016 at 814 am
MousetrapMcGee
think I hava problem Please help me bill your my only hope 0
Halal
i like your thinking
-wolf
April 11 2016 at 610 pm
MousetrapMcGee
I used to not know how to make a mousetrap car This article has changes my lifeNow I make a mousetrap car every 4 hours This article has brought meaning to mylife Great Googly Moogly I never realized how awe-inspiring mousetrap cars canbe Golly Josh Darn it why didnrsquot I find this page before Now my warehouse hasapproximately 352 mousetrap cars and counting 0
February 12 2016 at 813 am
Ken M
These mousetrap cars have ruined my life I worked with my son to make one andhe proceeded to show his friends Now the whole neighborhood is littered withthese things I have gotten several complaints and even threatened with a lawsuitfrom my neighbors for harassment and assault from the injuries inquired from themouse trap Every morning I wake and slip on a mousetrap car down the stairs Ihave been to the hospital three times and my wife threatens to leave me Lastweekend a mousetrap car took my job and I am on the verge of losing my homeWhy hasnrsquot Obama stepped in to clean this mess up The federal government failsitrsquos citizens once again
March 9 2016 at 1050 am
Fat Fart
Yoursquore a legend
April 4 2016 at 1053 am
September 21 2017 at 1059 am
NoybNoybie
im screaming is this real
Alex
Irsquom planning to use this idea for a summer camp If I have the kids from 9am to4pm is this a 1 day project Or multi-days
March 19 2016 at 925 am
Bill Kuhl
I have been doing it within one 1 12 hour class This didnrsquot give much time torun the cars
March 19 2016 at 319 pm
me
this is good
March 31 2016 at 812 am
a person
this site was helpful
April 20 2016 at 731 am
Anonymous
legendary
April 22 2016 at 1112 am
May 3 2016 at 1230 pm
oicial_lover_of_mousetrap_cars
I made 500000 mousetrap cars and counting I have been making them since lastyear and I absolutely love them I have caught around 100000 mice from my houseand garage in total
hunter
100000 you say Seems quite excessive donrsquot you think
September 7 2017 at 1117 am
Eliza
May 10 2016 at 1227 pm
Cammie
Thatrsquos not just logic Thatrsquos really senbesli
July 17 2016 at 935 pm
Anonymous
very helpful thanks
July 20 2016 at 802 pm
Gerald
very helpful thank you for your help
July 20 2016 at 803 pm
Sarah
Thank you I am trying to reference this site can you tell me the date this page wascreated
August 25 2016 at 745 pm
Bill Kuhl
From the editor I see Published on Dec 13 2013 1136
Bill Kuhl
August 26 2016 at 1237 pm
Pingback 31Aug ndash Term1 Day18 ndash cvintroengcar
Anonomus
Realy helpful best site there is 3
October 24 2016 at 744 am
A BoardIndividual
The only truly good website for mousetrap cars there is good for science fairprojects 3
December 20 2016 at 650 am
Anonymous
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 339 pm
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 341 pm
minimuinninja
Lyn
Good article
June 8 2017 at 1248 pm
Mico
Hello there Maybe you could help me solve a problem on mousetrap car Do youhave any idea on how to turn the wheel of a mousetrap car The problem is weneed to avoid an obstacle 1 meter away and should get back to the line of distancefrom where my car starts The longest distance the car traveled from the obstacle isthe winner The vehicle must start from behind a start-line and then clear anobstacle as it travels the longest possible distance in the longitudinal directionfrom the start line The device must come to a rest as close as possible to a pointdirectly inline from its start location (ie minimise the transverse distance)
August 21 2017 at 404 am
Bill Kuhl
There was a rubber powered event that had to go around an obstacle but youcould make the steering adjustable to a fixed setting and then curve around theobstacle As far as stopping at a certain point there is a Doc Fizzix car like thatwhich uses a threaded rod and a wingnut One side of the wingnut goes in achannel You adjust where wingnut starts and when it gets to one side it stopsthe car
August 21 2017 at 940 am
Mamcee
-This Is Epic I Got Everything I Needed hellip THANK Yu
September 16 2017 at 1129 am
Large Wheels ndash using really large diameterdrive wheels gives even larger mechanicaladvantage for greater distance
Bearing ndash this is the contactpoint between the turning axleand the attachment to thechassis the less friction in thebearings the more eicient themousetrap car With too muchfriction in the bearings themousetrap the mousetrapmight not even move or stoprepeatedly
Lever Arm
The lever arm extends from the mousetrapspring as a lever to pull the string Threemajor considerations for the lever arm
Material it should be very sti but light inweight Attaching to the mousetrap spring thereis a great deal of force where the lever armis attached to the spring The length of the lever arm is importantthe longer the arm the more line can bepulled through and mousetrap car shouldgo farther
The lever arm on this car is made from a square stock of a hard wood originally I started withbalsa with a T-joint but students were breaking the balsa Aer handling delicate balsa structures inmodel airplanes it was not a problem for me
Torque and Lever Arm Calculations for a Mousetrap Car
Torque has been defined either as a twisting force or the tendency to rotate around an axis Acommon example of torque is tightening a bolt with a wrench To know how much torque is beingapplied to a bolt a mechanics will oen use a special type of wrench known as a ldquotorque wrenchrdquo so aspecified amount of torque can be applied to a bolt
The formula for torque is very simple if the force is applied perpendicular to the lever Torque =radius x force Normally units of torque are foot pounds or newton meters This equation gives thetorque applied to the pivot point this is the mechanical advantage concept
I have been thinking more about how math could be used to predict an outcome To start with amousetrap car if you could calculate what force is available at the end of the lever arm based on thetorque at the axis it would give you some idea on how much force is available to propel the mousetrapcar It is also interesting to see how the force decreases as the spring unwinds
For a mousetrap car that will go a long distance the lever arm needs to be longer to pull more line thatis wrapped around the driving axle From these calculations it can be easily seen that the amount offorce available rapidly diminishes as the length of the lever arm increases
To me it is also interesting if you can measure calculated outcomes and think about the reasons forinaccuracies For this experiment inaccuracy was related to the spring scale I was using and how I wasusing it Doc Fizzix sells a torsion wheel to measure the torque of the mousetrap spring Link toTorsion Wheel product
For my experiment I measured the force in grams at 4 centimeters from the axis at 25 90 and 180degrees I then measured at 28 centimeters from the axis and then calculated what the force shouldbe based on the measurements at 4 centimeters Measurements were also taken at 28 centimeters soa comparison could be done between the calculated and the measured Fairly close results
GFCM is the torque dividing by the radius gives the force Example 1600 28 = 5714 3200 28 =11429 and 4400 28 = 15714
Above are the comparisons of the measurements and the calculations which appear in red
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 25 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 90 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 180 Degrees
The concept of torque is also important in flight like in this quadcopter checkout my article Basic Quadcopters
Notes on Units
Many times formulas are based on units other than those you have collected your data with Myspring scale does display Newtons also but grams are a much smaller unit which helps in taking moreaccurate measurement
For Example to Compute the Potential Energy of Torsional Spring conversion to Newtons metersand radians are needed
1 gram = 0098 Newtons
Radians = (degrees π) 180
1 centimeter = 01 meters
1 joule = force of 1 Newton through a distance of 1 meter
Blog Article 10-10-2017 Mousetrap Car Demonstration at Nursing Home
Doc Fizzix Mousetrap Car Kits
$1595
The EnforcerRubber Band
Shop now
$1595
Basic MousetrapCar Kit by
Shop now
$895
Little MoeMousetrap Car
Shop now
60 thoughts on ldquoMousetrap Carsrdquo
56
adidas f50adizeromessi
Your work is quite good
April 29 2014 at 232 pm
Anonymous
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssssssss
January 20 2015 at 1141 am
Jam2033
It was pretty good
May 4 2017 at 111 am
Anonymous
Excellent source of student language information Great project for my 5th gradestudents Excellent job
May 12 2014 at 930 am
DFB trikot2014
Awsome site I am loving it Will come back again I am taking your feeds also
May 30 2014 at 509 pm
snazzynazzy
I LOVE THIS WEBSITE I USED IT FOR MY PRIMARY CLASSES
August 14 2014 at 856 pm
Wolf
What is a primary class -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 457 pm
Wolf
Thanks for this info sadly for our project we canrsquot use kits But what do yourecommend for the axles I have been having trouble with them -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 456 pm
Bill Kuhl
If you look at my design for mousetrap car I used coat hanger wire try to findstraight sections Better kits use brass tubing Then you need a hub on mydesign I cut sections of rubber tarp strap and drilled a hole in it For bearing Iused the metal screw eyes
September 11 2014 at 509 pm
hi
very goo I got our mouse trap car idea from this website thanks mr miller these aregreat ideas
September 18 2014 at 344 pm
Anonymous
this is so awesome broski
October 16 2014 at 242 pm
Anonymous
this website is so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
allie
so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
liv
Soooooooo helpfullllll Actually it really showed me what I could do for my own
March 30 2015 at 1240 pm
Anonymous
Thanks for creating this This is pretty Helpful
January 13 2015 at 252 pm
Anonymous
Its helpful because even when ur building one in science
January 14 2015 at 1012 am
Nobody
SO AWESOME
March 6 2015 at 1055 am
Anonymous
thats really cool i like it great job
March 30 2015 at 943 am
Damian
that is really cool
March 30 2015 at 948 am
Anonymous
great i love it
May 8 2015 at 1111 am
Bod
l love it so much i mad 24 cars i love the experiences it is life changing
May 8 2015 at 1113 am
May 11 2015 at 909 am
Anonymous
cool
Jenna
Excuse me I love your work but could you please tell me when you published thisarticle Thank you
August 31 2015 at 500 pm
Bill Kuhl
This webpage on mousetrap cars was redone last year I had a somewhat dierentwebpage for several years
August 31 2015 at 923 pm
Crush
How do you true the wheels axels and attach-point on the chassis Despite all myeorts the wheels and chassis still have wobble to them and the car doesnrsquot drivein a straight line I found it very diicult to get everything centered and aligned onall axis
October 13 2015 at 1145 pm
Bill Kuhl
Crush that was a good question Wheel wobble has to to do with how straight andsolid the hub axle joint is You need to make sure the wheel to the axle isperpendicular that is like a ldquoTrdquo The axle alignment with the chassis of the car hasto be that way also Some method of adjusting the steering and then setting it maybe desirable On my design I used the screw eyes in a way small adjustments couldbe done on the tracking Some Doc Fizzix cars pivot the front axle and then allowyou to tighten it down
October 14 2015 at 811 am
very helpful got an A on my project and im in 7th grade
October 19 2015 at 156 pm
a 7th gradernamedjacob
Bill Kuhl
Thank you Jacob in 7th grade it makes my eort seem worthwhile
October 19 2015 at 223 pm
Michel
Over-tightening could be in the same way harmful because under-tighteningExamples include motors as well as equipment assemblies
November 15 2015 at 207 am
KilenTora
This was a great help for me in science or I probably would of failed science Verydescriptive and easy to understand as well Thank you
January 4 2016 at 945 pm
JeerySmogelton
This is the best website I have ever seen OMG
February 1 2016 at 1032 am
Bill Kuhl
Mousetrap McGee somehow I doubt you are building a mousetrap car every 4hours but I canrsquot stop laughing reading your comment
February 12 2016 at 823 am
Do yuo doubt me I got over 700 hundred and countingg I typing with onehand becuase Irsquom making mousetrap cars with the other Irsquom beginnning to
March 4 2016 at 814 am
MousetrapMcGee
think I hava problem Please help me bill your my only hope 0
Halal
i like your thinking
-wolf
April 11 2016 at 610 pm
MousetrapMcGee
I used to not know how to make a mousetrap car This article has changes my lifeNow I make a mousetrap car every 4 hours This article has brought meaning to mylife Great Googly Moogly I never realized how awe-inspiring mousetrap cars canbe Golly Josh Darn it why didnrsquot I find this page before Now my warehouse hasapproximately 352 mousetrap cars and counting 0
February 12 2016 at 813 am
Ken M
These mousetrap cars have ruined my life I worked with my son to make one andhe proceeded to show his friends Now the whole neighborhood is littered withthese things I have gotten several complaints and even threatened with a lawsuitfrom my neighbors for harassment and assault from the injuries inquired from themouse trap Every morning I wake and slip on a mousetrap car down the stairs Ihave been to the hospital three times and my wife threatens to leave me Lastweekend a mousetrap car took my job and I am on the verge of losing my homeWhy hasnrsquot Obama stepped in to clean this mess up The federal government failsitrsquos citizens once again
March 9 2016 at 1050 am
Fat Fart
Yoursquore a legend
April 4 2016 at 1053 am
September 21 2017 at 1059 am
NoybNoybie
im screaming is this real
Alex
Irsquom planning to use this idea for a summer camp If I have the kids from 9am to4pm is this a 1 day project Or multi-days
March 19 2016 at 925 am
Bill Kuhl
I have been doing it within one 1 12 hour class This didnrsquot give much time torun the cars
March 19 2016 at 319 pm
me
this is good
March 31 2016 at 812 am
a person
this site was helpful
April 20 2016 at 731 am
Anonymous
legendary
April 22 2016 at 1112 am
May 3 2016 at 1230 pm
oicial_lover_of_mousetrap_cars
I made 500000 mousetrap cars and counting I have been making them since lastyear and I absolutely love them I have caught around 100000 mice from my houseand garage in total
hunter
100000 you say Seems quite excessive donrsquot you think
September 7 2017 at 1117 am
Eliza
May 10 2016 at 1227 pm
Cammie
Thatrsquos not just logic Thatrsquos really senbesli
July 17 2016 at 935 pm
Anonymous
very helpful thanks
July 20 2016 at 802 pm
Gerald
very helpful thank you for your help
July 20 2016 at 803 pm
Sarah
Thank you I am trying to reference this site can you tell me the date this page wascreated
August 25 2016 at 745 pm
Bill Kuhl
From the editor I see Published on Dec 13 2013 1136
Bill Kuhl
August 26 2016 at 1237 pm
Pingback 31Aug ndash Term1 Day18 ndash cvintroengcar
Anonomus
Realy helpful best site there is 3
October 24 2016 at 744 am
A BoardIndividual
The only truly good website for mousetrap cars there is good for science fairprojects 3
December 20 2016 at 650 am
Anonymous
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 339 pm
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 341 pm
minimuinninja
Lyn
Good article
June 8 2017 at 1248 pm
Mico
Hello there Maybe you could help me solve a problem on mousetrap car Do youhave any idea on how to turn the wheel of a mousetrap car The problem is weneed to avoid an obstacle 1 meter away and should get back to the line of distancefrom where my car starts The longest distance the car traveled from the obstacle isthe winner The vehicle must start from behind a start-line and then clear anobstacle as it travels the longest possible distance in the longitudinal directionfrom the start line The device must come to a rest as close as possible to a pointdirectly inline from its start location (ie minimise the transverse distance)
August 21 2017 at 404 am
Bill Kuhl
There was a rubber powered event that had to go around an obstacle but youcould make the steering adjustable to a fixed setting and then curve around theobstacle As far as stopping at a certain point there is a Doc Fizzix car like thatwhich uses a threaded rod and a wingnut One side of the wingnut goes in achannel You adjust where wingnut starts and when it gets to one side it stopsthe car
August 21 2017 at 940 am
Mamcee
-This Is Epic I Got Everything I Needed hellip THANK Yu
September 16 2017 at 1129 am
The lever arm on this car is made from a square stock of a hard wood originally I started withbalsa with a T-joint but students were breaking the balsa Aer handling delicate balsa structures inmodel airplanes it was not a problem for me
Torque and Lever Arm Calculations for a Mousetrap Car
Torque has been defined either as a twisting force or the tendency to rotate around an axis Acommon example of torque is tightening a bolt with a wrench To know how much torque is beingapplied to a bolt a mechanics will oen use a special type of wrench known as a ldquotorque wrenchrdquo so aspecified amount of torque can be applied to a bolt
The formula for torque is very simple if the force is applied perpendicular to the lever Torque =radius x force Normally units of torque are foot pounds or newton meters This equation gives thetorque applied to the pivot point this is the mechanical advantage concept
I have been thinking more about how math could be used to predict an outcome To start with amousetrap car if you could calculate what force is available at the end of the lever arm based on thetorque at the axis it would give you some idea on how much force is available to propel the mousetrapcar It is also interesting to see how the force decreases as the spring unwinds
For a mousetrap car that will go a long distance the lever arm needs to be longer to pull more line thatis wrapped around the driving axle From these calculations it can be easily seen that the amount offorce available rapidly diminishes as the length of the lever arm increases
To me it is also interesting if you can measure calculated outcomes and think about the reasons forinaccuracies For this experiment inaccuracy was related to the spring scale I was using and how I wasusing it Doc Fizzix sells a torsion wheel to measure the torque of the mousetrap spring Link toTorsion Wheel product
For my experiment I measured the force in grams at 4 centimeters from the axis at 25 90 and 180degrees I then measured at 28 centimeters from the axis and then calculated what the force shouldbe based on the measurements at 4 centimeters Measurements were also taken at 28 centimeters soa comparison could be done between the calculated and the measured Fairly close results
GFCM is the torque dividing by the radius gives the force Example 1600 28 = 5714 3200 28 =11429 and 4400 28 = 15714
Above are the comparisons of the measurements and the calculations which appear in red
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 25 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 90 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 180 Degrees
The concept of torque is also important in flight like in this quadcopter checkout my article Basic Quadcopters
Notes on Units
Many times formulas are based on units other than those you have collected your data with Myspring scale does display Newtons also but grams are a much smaller unit which helps in taking moreaccurate measurement
For Example to Compute the Potential Energy of Torsional Spring conversion to Newtons metersand radians are needed
1 gram = 0098 Newtons
Radians = (degrees π) 180
1 centimeter = 01 meters
1 joule = force of 1 Newton through a distance of 1 meter
Blog Article 10-10-2017 Mousetrap Car Demonstration at Nursing Home
Doc Fizzix Mousetrap Car Kits
$1595
The EnforcerRubber Band
Shop now
$1595
Basic MousetrapCar Kit by
Shop now
$895
Little MoeMousetrap Car
Shop now
60 thoughts on ldquoMousetrap Carsrdquo
56
adidas f50adizeromessi
Your work is quite good
April 29 2014 at 232 pm
Anonymous
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssssssss
January 20 2015 at 1141 am
Jam2033
It was pretty good
May 4 2017 at 111 am
Anonymous
Excellent source of student language information Great project for my 5th gradestudents Excellent job
May 12 2014 at 930 am
DFB trikot2014
Awsome site I am loving it Will come back again I am taking your feeds also
May 30 2014 at 509 pm
snazzynazzy
I LOVE THIS WEBSITE I USED IT FOR MY PRIMARY CLASSES
August 14 2014 at 856 pm
Wolf
What is a primary class -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 457 pm
Wolf
Thanks for this info sadly for our project we canrsquot use kits But what do yourecommend for the axles I have been having trouble with them -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 456 pm
Bill Kuhl
If you look at my design for mousetrap car I used coat hanger wire try to findstraight sections Better kits use brass tubing Then you need a hub on mydesign I cut sections of rubber tarp strap and drilled a hole in it For bearing Iused the metal screw eyes
September 11 2014 at 509 pm
hi
very goo I got our mouse trap car idea from this website thanks mr miller these aregreat ideas
September 18 2014 at 344 pm
Anonymous
this is so awesome broski
October 16 2014 at 242 pm
Anonymous
this website is so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
allie
so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
liv
Soooooooo helpfullllll Actually it really showed me what I could do for my own
March 30 2015 at 1240 pm
Anonymous
Thanks for creating this This is pretty Helpful
January 13 2015 at 252 pm
Anonymous
Its helpful because even when ur building one in science
January 14 2015 at 1012 am
Nobody
SO AWESOME
March 6 2015 at 1055 am
Anonymous
thats really cool i like it great job
March 30 2015 at 943 am
Damian
that is really cool
March 30 2015 at 948 am
Anonymous
great i love it
May 8 2015 at 1111 am
Bod
l love it so much i mad 24 cars i love the experiences it is life changing
May 8 2015 at 1113 am
May 11 2015 at 909 am
Anonymous
cool
Jenna
Excuse me I love your work but could you please tell me when you published thisarticle Thank you
August 31 2015 at 500 pm
Bill Kuhl
This webpage on mousetrap cars was redone last year I had a somewhat dierentwebpage for several years
August 31 2015 at 923 pm
Crush
How do you true the wheels axels and attach-point on the chassis Despite all myeorts the wheels and chassis still have wobble to them and the car doesnrsquot drivein a straight line I found it very diicult to get everything centered and aligned onall axis
October 13 2015 at 1145 pm
Bill Kuhl
Crush that was a good question Wheel wobble has to to do with how straight andsolid the hub axle joint is You need to make sure the wheel to the axle isperpendicular that is like a ldquoTrdquo The axle alignment with the chassis of the car hasto be that way also Some method of adjusting the steering and then setting it maybe desirable On my design I used the screw eyes in a way small adjustments couldbe done on the tracking Some Doc Fizzix cars pivot the front axle and then allowyou to tighten it down
October 14 2015 at 811 am
very helpful got an A on my project and im in 7th grade
October 19 2015 at 156 pm
a 7th gradernamedjacob
Bill Kuhl
Thank you Jacob in 7th grade it makes my eort seem worthwhile
October 19 2015 at 223 pm
Michel
Over-tightening could be in the same way harmful because under-tighteningExamples include motors as well as equipment assemblies
November 15 2015 at 207 am
KilenTora
This was a great help for me in science or I probably would of failed science Verydescriptive and easy to understand as well Thank you
January 4 2016 at 945 pm
JeerySmogelton
This is the best website I have ever seen OMG
February 1 2016 at 1032 am
Bill Kuhl
Mousetrap McGee somehow I doubt you are building a mousetrap car every 4hours but I canrsquot stop laughing reading your comment
February 12 2016 at 823 am
Do yuo doubt me I got over 700 hundred and countingg I typing with onehand becuase Irsquom making mousetrap cars with the other Irsquom beginnning to
March 4 2016 at 814 am
MousetrapMcGee
think I hava problem Please help me bill your my only hope 0
Halal
i like your thinking
-wolf
April 11 2016 at 610 pm
MousetrapMcGee
I used to not know how to make a mousetrap car This article has changes my lifeNow I make a mousetrap car every 4 hours This article has brought meaning to mylife Great Googly Moogly I never realized how awe-inspiring mousetrap cars canbe Golly Josh Darn it why didnrsquot I find this page before Now my warehouse hasapproximately 352 mousetrap cars and counting 0
February 12 2016 at 813 am
Ken M
These mousetrap cars have ruined my life I worked with my son to make one andhe proceeded to show his friends Now the whole neighborhood is littered withthese things I have gotten several complaints and even threatened with a lawsuitfrom my neighbors for harassment and assault from the injuries inquired from themouse trap Every morning I wake and slip on a mousetrap car down the stairs Ihave been to the hospital three times and my wife threatens to leave me Lastweekend a mousetrap car took my job and I am on the verge of losing my homeWhy hasnrsquot Obama stepped in to clean this mess up The federal government failsitrsquos citizens once again
March 9 2016 at 1050 am
Fat Fart
Yoursquore a legend
April 4 2016 at 1053 am
September 21 2017 at 1059 am
NoybNoybie
im screaming is this real
Alex
Irsquom planning to use this idea for a summer camp If I have the kids from 9am to4pm is this a 1 day project Or multi-days
March 19 2016 at 925 am
Bill Kuhl
I have been doing it within one 1 12 hour class This didnrsquot give much time torun the cars
March 19 2016 at 319 pm
me
this is good
March 31 2016 at 812 am
a person
this site was helpful
April 20 2016 at 731 am
Anonymous
legendary
April 22 2016 at 1112 am
May 3 2016 at 1230 pm
oicial_lover_of_mousetrap_cars
I made 500000 mousetrap cars and counting I have been making them since lastyear and I absolutely love them I have caught around 100000 mice from my houseand garage in total
hunter
100000 you say Seems quite excessive donrsquot you think
September 7 2017 at 1117 am
Eliza
May 10 2016 at 1227 pm
Cammie
Thatrsquos not just logic Thatrsquos really senbesli
July 17 2016 at 935 pm
Anonymous
very helpful thanks
July 20 2016 at 802 pm
Gerald
very helpful thank you for your help
July 20 2016 at 803 pm
Sarah
Thank you I am trying to reference this site can you tell me the date this page wascreated
August 25 2016 at 745 pm
Bill Kuhl
From the editor I see Published on Dec 13 2013 1136
Bill Kuhl
August 26 2016 at 1237 pm
Pingback 31Aug ndash Term1 Day18 ndash cvintroengcar
Anonomus
Realy helpful best site there is 3
October 24 2016 at 744 am
A BoardIndividual
The only truly good website for mousetrap cars there is good for science fairprojects 3
December 20 2016 at 650 am
Anonymous
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 339 pm
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 341 pm
minimuinninja
Lyn
Good article
June 8 2017 at 1248 pm
Mico
Hello there Maybe you could help me solve a problem on mousetrap car Do youhave any idea on how to turn the wheel of a mousetrap car The problem is weneed to avoid an obstacle 1 meter away and should get back to the line of distancefrom where my car starts The longest distance the car traveled from the obstacle isthe winner The vehicle must start from behind a start-line and then clear anobstacle as it travels the longest possible distance in the longitudinal directionfrom the start line The device must come to a rest as close as possible to a pointdirectly inline from its start location (ie minimise the transverse distance)
August 21 2017 at 404 am
Bill Kuhl
There was a rubber powered event that had to go around an obstacle but youcould make the steering adjustable to a fixed setting and then curve around theobstacle As far as stopping at a certain point there is a Doc Fizzix car like thatwhich uses a threaded rod and a wingnut One side of the wingnut goes in achannel You adjust where wingnut starts and when it gets to one side it stopsthe car
August 21 2017 at 940 am
Mamcee
-This Is Epic I Got Everything I Needed hellip THANK Yu
September 16 2017 at 1129 am
For my experiment I measured the force in grams at 4 centimeters from the axis at 25 90 and 180degrees I then measured at 28 centimeters from the axis and then calculated what the force shouldbe based on the measurements at 4 centimeters Measurements were also taken at 28 centimeters soa comparison could be done between the calculated and the measured Fairly close results
GFCM is the torque dividing by the radius gives the force Example 1600 28 = 5714 3200 28 =11429 and 4400 28 = 15714
Above are the comparisons of the measurements and the calculations which appear in red
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 25 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 90 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 180 Degrees
The concept of torque is also important in flight like in this quadcopter checkout my article Basic Quadcopters
Notes on Units
Many times formulas are based on units other than those you have collected your data with Myspring scale does display Newtons also but grams are a much smaller unit which helps in taking moreaccurate measurement
For Example to Compute the Potential Energy of Torsional Spring conversion to Newtons metersand radians are needed
1 gram = 0098 Newtons
Radians = (degrees π) 180
1 centimeter = 01 meters
1 joule = force of 1 Newton through a distance of 1 meter
Blog Article 10-10-2017 Mousetrap Car Demonstration at Nursing Home
Doc Fizzix Mousetrap Car Kits
$1595
The EnforcerRubber Band
Shop now
$1595
Basic MousetrapCar Kit by
Shop now
$895
Little MoeMousetrap Car
Shop now
60 thoughts on ldquoMousetrap Carsrdquo
56
adidas f50adizeromessi
Your work is quite good
April 29 2014 at 232 pm
Anonymous
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssssssss
January 20 2015 at 1141 am
Jam2033
It was pretty good
May 4 2017 at 111 am
Anonymous
Excellent source of student language information Great project for my 5th gradestudents Excellent job
May 12 2014 at 930 am
DFB trikot2014
Awsome site I am loving it Will come back again I am taking your feeds also
May 30 2014 at 509 pm
snazzynazzy
I LOVE THIS WEBSITE I USED IT FOR MY PRIMARY CLASSES
August 14 2014 at 856 pm
Wolf
What is a primary class -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 457 pm
Wolf
Thanks for this info sadly for our project we canrsquot use kits But what do yourecommend for the axles I have been having trouble with them -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 456 pm
Bill Kuhl
If you look at my design for mousetrap car I used coat hanger wire try to findstraight sections Better kits use brass tubing Then you need a hub on mydesign I cut sections of rubber tarp strap and drilled a hole in it For bearing Iused the metal screw eyes
September 11 2014 at 509 pm
hi
very goo I got our mouse trap car idea from this website thanks mr miller these aregreat ideas
September 18 2014 at 344 pm
Anonymous
this is so awesome broski
October 16 2014 at 242 pm
Anonymous
this website is so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
allie
so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
liv
Soooooooo helpfullllll Actually it really showed me what I could do for my own
March 30 2015 at 1240 pm
Anonymous
Thanks for creating this This is pretty Helpful
January 13 2015 at 252 pm
Anonymous
Its helpful because even when ur building one in science
January 14 2015 at 1012 am
Nobody
SO AWESOME
March 6 2015 at 1055 am
Anonymous
thats really cool i like it great job
March 30 2015 at 943 am
Damian
that is really cool
March 30 2015 at 948 am
Anonymous
great i love it
May 8 2015 at 1111 am
Bod
l love it so much i mad 24 cars i love the experiences it is life changing
May 8 2015 at 1113 am
May 11 2015 at 909 am
Anonymous
cool
Jenna
Excuse me I love your work but could you please tell me when you published thisarticle Thank you
August 31 2015 at 500 pm
Bill Kuhl
This webpage on mousetrap cars was redone last year I had a somewhat dierentwebpage for several years
August 31 2015 at 923 pm
Crush
How do you true the wheels axels and attach-point on the chassis Despite all myeorts the wheels and chassis still have wobble to them and the car doesnrsquot drivein a straight line I found it very diicult to get everything centered and aligned onall axis
October 13 2015 at 1145 pm
Bill Kuhl
Crush that was a good question Wheel wobble has to to do with how straight andsolid the hub axle joint is You need to make sure the wheel to the axle isperpendicular that is like a ldquoTrdquo The axle alignment with the chassis of the car hasto be that way also Some method of adjusting the steering and then setting it maybe desirable On my design I used the screw eyes in a way small adjustments couldbe done on the tracking Some Doc Fizzix cars pivot the front axle and then allowyou to tighten it down
October 14 2015 at 811 am
very helpful got an A on my project and im in 7th grade
October 19 2015 at 156 pm
a 7th gradernamedjacob
Bill Kuhl
Thank you Jacob in 7th grade it makes my eort seem worthwhile
October 19 2015 at 223 pm
Michel
Over-tightening could be in the same way harmful because under-tighteningExamples include motors as well as equipment assemblies
November 15 2015 at 207 am
KilenTora
This was a great help for me in science or I probably would of failed science Verydescriptive and easy to understand as well Thank you
January 4 2016 at 945 pm
JeerySmogelton
This is the best website I have ever seen OMG
February 1 2016 at 1032 am
Bill Kuhl
Mousetrap McGee somehow I doubt you are building a mousetrap car every 4hours but I canrsquot stop laughing reading your comment
February 12 2016 at 823 am
Do yuo doubt me I got over 700 hundred and countingg I typing with onehand becuase Irsquom making mousetrap cars with the other Irsquom beginnning to
March 4 2016 at 814 am
MousetrapMcGee
think I hava problem Please help me bill your my only hope 0
Halal
i like your thinking
-wolf
April 11 2016 at 610 pm
MousetrapMcGee
I used to not know how to make a mousetrap car This article has changes my lifeNow I make a mousetrap car every 4 hours This article has brought meaning to mylife Great Googly Moogly I never realized how awe-inspiring mousetrap cars canbe Golly Josh Darn it why didnrsquot I find this page before Now my warehouse hasapproximately 352 mousetrap cars and counting 0
February 12 2016 at 813 am
Ken M
These mousetrap cars have ruined my life I worked with my son to make one andhe proceeded to show his friends Now the whole neighborhood is littered withthese things I have gotten several complaints and even threatened with a lawsuitfrom my neighbors for harassment and assault from the injuries inquired from themouse trap Every morning I wake and slip on a mousetrap car down the stairs Ihave been to the hospital three times and my wife threatens to leave me Lastweekend a mousetrap car took my job and I am on the verge of losing my homeWhy hasnrsquot Obama stepped in to clean this mess up The federal government failsitrsquos citizens once again
March 9 2016 at 1050 am
Fat Fart
Yoursquore a legend
April 4 2016 at 1053 am
September 21 2017 at 1059 am
NoybNoybie
im screaming is this real
Alex
Irsquom planning to use this idea for a summer camp If I have the kids from 9am to4pm is this a 1 day project Or multi-days
March 19 2016 at 925 am
Bill Kuhl
I have been doing it within one 1 12 hour class This didnrsquot give much time torun the cars
March 19 2016 at 319 pm
me
this is good
March 31 2016 at 812 am
a person
this site was helpful
April 20 2016 at 731 am
Anonymous
legendary
April 22 2016 at 1112 am
May 3 2016 at 1230 pm
oicial_lover_of_mousetrap_cars
I made 500000 mousetrap cars and counting I have been making them since lastyear and I absolutely love them I have caught around 100000 mice from my houseand garage in total
hunter
100000 you say Seems quite excessive donrsquot you think
September 7 2017 at 1117 am
Eliza
May 10 2016 at 1227 pm
Cammie
Thatrsquos not just logic Thatrsquos really senbesli
July 17 2016 at 935 pm
Anonymous
very helpful thanks
July 20 2016 at 802 pm
Gerald
very helpful thank you for your help
July 20 2016 at 803 pm
Sarah
Thank you I am trying to reference this site can you tell me the date this page wascreated
August 25 2016 at 745 pm
Bill Kuhl
From the editor I see Published on Dec 13 2013 1136
Bill Kuhl
August 26 2016 at 1237 pm
Pingback 31Aug ndash Term1 Day18 ndash cvintroengcar
Anonomus
Realy helpful best site there is 3
October 24 2016 at 744 am
A BoardIndividual
The only truly good website for mousetrap cars there is good for science fairprojects 3
December 20 2016 at 650 am
Anonymous
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 339 pm
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 341 pm
minimuinninja
Lyn
Good article
June 8 2017 at 1248 pm
Mico
Hello there Maybe you could help me solve a problem on mousetrap car Do youhave any idea on how to turn the wheel of a mousetrap car The problem is weneed to avoid an obstacle 1 meter away and should get back to the line of distancefrom where my car starts The longest distance the car traveled from the obstacle isthe winner The vehicle must start from behind a start-line and then clear anobstacle as it travels the longest possible distance in the longitudinal directionfrom the start line The device must come to a rest as close as possible to a pointdirectly inline from its start location (ie minimise the transverse distance)
August 21 2017 at 404 am
Bill Kuhl
There was a rubber powered event that had to go around an obstacle but youcould make the steering adjustable to a fixed setting and then curve around theobstacle As far as stopping at a certain point there is a Doc Fizzix car like thatwhich uses a threaded rod and a wingnut One side of the wingnut goes in achannel You adjust where wingnut starts and when it gets to one side it stopsthe car
August 21 2017 at 940 am
Mamcee
-This Is Epic I Got Everything I Needed hellip THANK Yu
September 16 2017 at 1129 am
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 90 Degrees
Measured Forces on Lever Arm at 180 Degrees
The concept of torque is also important in flight like in this quadcopter checkout my article Basic Quadcopters
Notes on Units
Many times formulas are based on units other than those you have collected your data with Myspring scale does display Newtons also but grams are a much smaller unit which helps in taking moreaccurate measurement
For Example to Compute the Potential Energy of Torsional Spring conversion to Newtons metersand radians are needed
1 gram = 0098 Newtons
Radians = (degrees π) 180
1 centimeter = 01 meters
1 joule = force of 1 Newton through a distance of 1 meter
Blog Article 10-10-2017 Mousetrap Car Demonstration at Nursing Home
Doc Fizzix Mousetrap Car Kits
$1595
The EnforcerRubber Band
Shop now
$1595
Basic MousetrapCar Kit by
Shop now
$895
Little MoeMousetrap Car
Shop now
60 thoughts on ldquoMousetrap Carsrdquo
56
adidas f50adizeromessi
Your work is quite good
April 29 2014 at 232 pm
Anonymous
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssssssss
January 20 2015 at 1141 am
Jam2033
It was pretty good
May 4 2017 at 111 am
Anonymous
Excellent source of student language information Great project for my 5th gradestudents Excellent job
May 12 2014 at 930 am
DFB trikot2014
Awsome site I am loving it Will come back again I am taking your feeds also
May 30 2014 at 509 pm
snazzynazzy
I LOVE THIS WEBSITE I USED IT FOR MY PRIMARY CLASSES
August 14 2014 at 856 pm
Wolf
What is a primary class -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 457 pm
Wolf
Thanks for this info sadly for our project we canrsquot use kits But what do yourecommend for the axles I have been having trouble with them -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 456 pm
Bill Kuhl
If you look at my design for mousetrap car I used coat hanger wire try to findstraight sections Better kits use brass tubing Then you need a hub on mydesign I cut sections of rubber tarp strap and drilled a hole in it For bearing Iused the metal screw eyes
September 11 2014 at 509 pm
hi
very goo I got our mouse trap car idea from this website thanks mr miller these aregreat ideas
September 18 2014 at 344 pm
Anonymous
this is so awesome broski
October 16 2014 at 242 pm
Anonymous
this website is so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
allie
so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
liv
Soooooooo helpfullllll Actually it really showed me what I could do for my own
March 30 2015 at 1240 pm
Anonymous
Thanks for creating this This is pretty Helpful
January 13 2015 at 252 pm
Anonymous
Its helpful because even when ur building one in science
January 14 2015 at 1012 am
Nobody
SO AWESOME
March 6 2015 at 1055 am
Anonymous
thats really cool i like it great job
March 30 2015 at 943 am
Damian
that is really cool
March 30 2015 at 948 am
Anonymous
great i love it
May 8 2015 at 1111 am
Bod
l love it so much i mad 24 cars i love the experiences it is life changing
May 8 2015 at 1113 am
May 11 2015 at 909 am
Anonymous
cool
Jenna
Excuse me I love your work but could you please tell me when you published thisarticle Thank you
August 31 2015 at 500 pm
Bill Kuhl
This webpage on mousetrap cars was redone last year I had a somewhat dierentwebpage for several years
August 31 2015 at 923 pm
Crush
How do you true the wheels axels and attach-point on the chassis Despite all myeorts the wheels and chassis still have wobble to them and the car doesnrsquot drivein a straight line I found it very diicult to get everything centered and aligned onall axis
October 13 2015 at 1145 pm
Bill Kuhl
Crush that was a good question Wheel wobble has to to do with how straight andsolid the hub axle joint is You need to make sure the wheel to the axle isperpendicular that is like a ldquoTrdquo The axle alignment with the chassis of the car hasto be that way also Some method of adjusting the steering and then setting it maybe desirable On my design I used the screw eyes in a way small adjustments couldbe done on the tracking Some Doc Fizzix cars pivot the front axle and then allowyou to tighten it down
October 14 2015 at 811 am
very helpful got an A on my project and im in 7th grade
October 19 2015 at 156 pm
a 7th gradernamedjacob
Bill Kuhl
Thank you Jacob in 7th grade it makes my eort seem worthwhile
October 19 2015 at 223 pm
Michel
Over-tightening could be in the same way harmful because under-tighteningExamples include motors as well as equipment assemblies
November 15 2015 at 207 am
KilenTora
This was a great help for me in science or I probably would of failed science Verydescriptive and easy to understand as well Thank you
January 4 2016 at 945 pm
JeerySmogelton
This is the best website I have ever seen OMG
February 1 2016 at 1032 am
Bill Kuhl
Mousetrap McGee somehow I doubt you are building a mousetrap car every 4hours but I canrsquot stop laughing reading your comment
February 12 2016 at 823 am
Do yuo doubt me I got over 700 hundred and countingg I typing with onehand becuase Irsquom making mousetrap cars with the other Irsquom beginnning to
March 4 2016 at 814 am
MousetrapMcGee
think I hava problem Please help me bill your my only hope 0
Halal
i like your thinking
-wolf
April 11 2016 at 610 pm
MousetrapMcGee
I used to not know how to make a mousetrap car This article has changes my lifeNow I make a mousetrap car every 4 hours This article has brought meaning to mylife Great Googly Moogly I never realized how awe-inspiring mousetrap cars canbe Golly Josh Darn it why didnrsquot I find this page before Now my warehouse hasapproximately 352 mousetrap cars and counting 0
February 12 2016 at 813 am
Ken M
These mousetrap cars have ruined my life I worked with my son to make one andhe proceeded to show his friends Now the whole neighborhood is littered withthese things I have gotten several complaints and even threatened with a lawsuitfrom my neighbors for harassment and assault from the injuries inquired from themouse trap Every morning I wake and slip on a mousetrap car down the stairs Ihave been to the hospital three times and my wife threatens to leave me Lastweekend a mousetrap car took my job and I am on the verge of losing my homeWhy hasnrsquot Obama stepped in to clean this mess up The federal government failsitrsquos citizens once again
March 9 2016 at 1050 am
Fat Fart
Yoursquore a legend
April 4 2016 at 1053 am
September 21 2017 at 1059 am
NoybNoybie
im screaming is this real
Alex
Irsquom planning to use this idea for a summer camp If I have the kids from 9am to4pm is this a 1 day project Or multi-days
March 19 2016 at 925 am
Bill Kuhl
I have been doing it within one 1 12 hour class This didnrsquot give much time torun the cars
March 19 2016 at 319 pm
me
this is good
March 31 2016 at 812 am
a person
this site was helpful
April 20 2016 at 731 am
Anonymous
legendary
April 22 2016 at 1112 am
May 3 2016 at 1230 pm
oicial_lover_of_mousetrap_cars
I made 500000 mousetrap cars and counting I have been making them since lastyear and I absolutely love them I have caught around 100000 mice from my houseand garage in total
hunter
100000 you say Seems quite excessive donrsquot you think
September 7 2017 at 1117 am
Eliza
May 10 2016 at 1227 pm
Cammie
Thatrsquos not just logic Thatrsquos really senbesli
July 17 2016 at 935 pm
Anonymous
very helpful thanks
July 20 2016 at 802 pm
Gerald
very helpful thank you for your help
July 20 2016 at 803 pm
Sarah
Thank you I am trying to reference this site can you tell me the date this page wascreated
August 25 2016 at 745 pm
Bill Kuhl
From the editor I see Published on Dec 13 2013 1136
Bill Kuhl
August 26 2016 at 1237 pm
Pingback 31Aug ndash Term1 Day18 ndash cvintroengcar
Anonomus
Realy helpful best site there is 3
October 24 2016 at 744 am
A BoardIndividual
The only truly good website for mousetrap cars there is good for science fairprojects 3
December 20 2016 at 650 am
Anonymous
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 339 pm
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 341 pm
minimuinninja
Lyn
Good article
June 8 2017 at 1248 pm
Mico
Hello there Maybe you could help me solve a problem on mousetrap car Do youhave any idea on how to turn the wheel of a mousetrap car The problem is weneed to avoid an obstacle 1 meter away and should get back to the line of distancefrom where my car starts The longest distance the car traveled from the obstacle isthe winner The vehicle must start from behind a start-line and then clear anobstacle as it travels the longest possible distance in the longitudinal directionfrom the start line The device must come to a rest as close as possible to a pointdirectly inline from its start location (ie minimise the transverse distance)
August 21 2017 at 404 am
Bill Kuhl
There was a rubber powered event that had to go around an obstacle but youcould make the steering adjustable to a fixed setting and then curve around theobstacle As far as stopping at a certain point there is a Doc Fizzix car like thatwhich uses a threaded rod and a wingnut One side of the wingnut goes in achannel You adjust where wingnut starts and when it gets to one side it stopsthe car
August 21 2017 at 940 am
Mamcee
-This Is Epic I Got Everything I Needed hellip THANK Yu
September 16 2017 at 1129 am
For Example to Compute the Potential Energy of Torsional Spring conversion to Newtons metersand radians are needed
1 gram = 0098 Newtons
Radians = (degrees π) 180
1 centimeter = 01 meters
1 joule = force of 1 Newton through a distance of 1 meter
Blog Article 10-10-2017 Mousetrap Car Demonstration at Nursing Home
Doc Fizzix Mousetrap Car Kits
$1595
The EnforcerRubber Band
Shop now
$1595
Basic MousetrapCar Kit by
Shop now
$895
Little MoeMousetrap Car
Shop now
60 thoughts on ldquoMousetrap Carsrdquo
56
adidas f50adizeromessi
Your work is quite good
April 29 2014 at 232 pm
Anonymous
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssssssss
January 20 2015 at 1141 am
Jam2033
It was pretty good
May 4 2017 at 111 am
Anonymous
Excellent source of student language information Great project for my 5th gradestudents Excellent job
May 12 2014 at 930 am
DFB trikot2014
Awsome site I am loving it Will come back again I am taking your feeds also
May 30 2014 at 509 pm
snazzynazzy
I LOVE THIS WEBSITE I USED IT FOR MY PRIMARY CLASSES
August 14 2014 at 856 pm
Wolf
What is a primary class -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 457 pm
Wolf
Thanks for this info sadly for our project we canrsquot use kits But what do yourecommend for the axles I have been having trouble with them -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 456 pm
Bill Kuhl
If you look at my design for mousetrap car I used coat hanger wire try to findstraight sections Better kits use brass tubing Then you need a hub on mydesign I cut sections of rubber tarp strap and drilled a hole in it For bearing Iused the metal screw eyes
September 11 2014 at 509 pm
hi
very goo I got our mouse trap car idea from this website thanks mr miller these aregreat ideas
September 18 2014 at 344 pm
Anonymous
this is so awesome broski
October 16 2014 at 242 pm
Anonymous
this website is so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
allie
so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
liv
Soooooooo helpfullllll Actually it really showed me what I could do for my own
March 30 2015 at 1240 pm
Anonymous
Thanks for creating this This is pretty Helpful
January 13 2015 at 252 pm
Anonymous
Its helpful because even when ur building one in science
January 14 2015 at 1012 am
Nobody
SO AWESOME
March 6 2015 at 1055 am
Anonymous
thats really cool i like it great job
March 30 2015 at 943 am
Damian
that is really cool
March 30 2015 at 948 am
Anonymous
great i love it
May 8 2015 at 1111 am
Bod
l love it so much i mad 24 cars i love the experiences it is life changing
May 8 2015 at 1113 am
May 11 2015 at 909 am
Anonymous
cool
Jenna
Excuse me I love your work but could you please tell me when you published thisarticle Thank you
August 31 2015 at 500 pm
Bill Kuhl
This webpage on mousetrap cars was redone last year I had a somewhat dierentwebpage for several years
August 31 2015 at 923 pm
Crush
How do you true the wheels axels and attach-point on the chassis Despite all myeorts the wheels and chassis still have wobble to them and the car doesnrsquot drivein a straight line I found it very diicult to get everything centered and aligned onall axis
October 13 2015 at 1145 pm
Bill Kuhl
Crush that was a good question Wheel wobble has to to do with how straight andsolid the hub axle joint is You need to make sure the wheel to the axle isperpendicular that is like a ldquoTrdquo The axle alignment with the chassis of the car hasto be that way also Some method of adjusting the steering and then setting it maybe desirable On my design I used the screw eyes in a way small adjustments couldbe done on the tracking Some Doc Fizzix cars pivot the front axle and then allowyou to tighten it down
October 14 2015 at 811 am
very helpful got an A on my project and im in 7th grade
October 19 2015 at 156 pm
a 7th gradernamedjacob
Bill Kuhl
Thank you Jacob in 7th grade it makes my eort seem worthwhile
October 19 2015 at 223 pm
Michel
Over-tightening could be in the same way harmful because under-tighteningExamples include motors as well as equipment assemblies
November 15 2015 at 207 am
KilenTora
This was a great help for me in science or I probably would of failed science Verydescriptive and easy to understand as well Thank you
January 4 2016 at 945 pm
JeerySmogelton
This is the best website I have ever seen OMG
February 1 2016 at 1032 am
Bill Kuhl
Mousetrap McGee somehow I doubt you are building a mousetrap car every 4hours but I canrsquot stop laughing reading your comment
February 12 2016 at 823 am
Do yuo doubt me I got over 700 hundred and countingg I typing with onehand becuase Irsquom making mousetrap cars with the other Irsquom beginnning to
March 4 2016 at 814 am
MousetrapMcGee
think I hava problem Please help me bill your my only hope 0
Halal
i like your thinking
-wolf
April 11 2016 at 610 pm
MousetrapMcGee
I used to not know how to make a mousetrap car This article has changes my lifeNow I make a mousetrap car every 4 hours This article has brought meaning to mylife Great Googly Moogly I never realized how awe-inspiring mousetrap cars canbe Golly Josh Darn it why didnrsquot I find this page before Now my warehouse hasapproximately 352 mousetrap cars and counting 0
February 12 2016 at 813 am
Ken M
These mousetrap cars have ruined my life I worked with my son to make one andhe proceeded to show his friends Now the whole neighborhood is littered withthese things I have gotten several complaints and even threatened with a lawsuitfrom my neighbors for harassment and assault from the injuries inquired from themouse trap Every morning I wake and slip on a mousetrap car down the stairs Ihave been to the hospital three times and my wife threatens to leave me Lastweekend a mousetrap car took my job and I am on the verge of losing my homeWhy hasnrsquot Obama stepped in to clean this mess up The federal government failsitrsquos citizens once again
March 9 2016 at 1050 am
Fat Fart
Yoursquore a legend
April 4 2016 at 1053 am
September 21 2017 at 1059 am
NoybNoybie
im screaming is this real
Alex
Irsquom planning to use this idea for a summer camp If I have the kids from 9am to4pm is this a 1 day project Or multi-days
March 19 2016 at 925 am
Bill Kuhl
I have been doing it within one 1 12 hour class This didnrsquot give much time torun the cars
March 19 2016 at 319 pm
me
this is good
March 31 2016 at 812 am
a person
this site was helpful
April 20 2016 at 731 am
Anonymous
legendary
April 22 2016 at 1112 am
May 3 2016 at 1230 pm
oicial_lover_of_mousetrap_cars
I made 500000 mousetrap cars and counting I have been making them since lastyear and I absolutely love them I have caught around 100000 mice from my houseand garage in total
hunter
100000 you say Seems quite excessive donrsquot you think
September 7 2017 at 1117 am
Eliza
May 10 2016 at 1227 pm
Cammie
Thatrsquos not just logic Thatrsquos really senbesli
July 17 2016 at 935 pm
Anonymous
very helpful thanks
July 20 2016 at 802 pm
Gerald
very helpful thank you for your help
July 20 2016 at 803 pm
Sarah
Thank you I am trying to reference this site can you tell me the date this page wascreated
August 25 2016 at 745 pm
Bill Kuhl
From the editor I see Published on Dec 13 2013 1136
Bill Kuhl
August 26 2016 at 1237 pm
Pingback 31Aug ndash Term1 Day18 ndash cvintroengcar
Anonomus
Realy helpful best site there is 3
October 24 2016 at 744 am
A BoardIndividual
The only truly good website for mousetrap cars there is good for science fairprojects 3
December 20 2016 at 650 am
Anonymous
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 339 pm
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 341 pm
minimuinninja
Lyn
Good article
June 8 2017 at 1248 pm
Mico
Hello there Maybe you could help me solve a problem on mousetrap car Do youhave any idea on how to turn the wheel of a mousetrap car The problem is weneed to avoid an obstacle 1 meter away and should get back to the line of distancefrom where my car starts The longest distance the car traveled from the obstacle isthe winner The vehicle must start from behind a start-line and then clear anobstacle as it travels the longest possible distance in the longitudinal directionfrom the start line The device must come to a rest as close as possible to a pointdirectly inline from its start location (ie minimise the transverse distance)
August 21 2017 at 404 am
Bill Kuhl
There was a rubber powered event that had to go around an obstacle but youcould make the steering adjustable to a fixed setting and then curve around theobstacle As far as stopping at a certain point there is a Doc Fizzix car like thatwhich uses a threaded rod and a wingnut One side of the wingnut goes in achannel You adjust where wingnut starts and when it gets to one side it stopsthe car
August 21 2017 at 940 am
Mamcee
-This Is Epic I Got Everything I Needed hellip THANK Yu
September 16 2017 at 1129 am
$895
Little MoeMousetrap Car
Shop now
60 thoughts on ldquoMousetrap Carsrdquo
56
adidas f50adizeromessi
Your work is quite good
April 29 2014 at 232 pm
Anonymous
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssssssss
January 20 2015 at 1141 am
Jam2033
It was pretty good
May 4 2017 at 111 am
Anonymous
Excellent source of student language information Great project for my 5th gradestudents Excellent job
May 12 2014 at 930 am
DFB trikot2014
Awsome site I am loving it Will come back again I am taking your feeds also
May 30 2014 at 509 pm
snazzynazzy
I LOVE THIS WEBSITE I USED IT FOR MY PRIMARY CLASSES
August 14 2014 at 856 pm
Wolf
What is a primary class -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 457 pm
Wolf
Thanks for this info sadly for our project we canrsquot use kits But what do yourecommend for the axles I have been having trouble with them -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 456 pm
Bill Kuhl
If you look at my design for mousetrap car I used coat hanger wire try to findstraight sections Better kits use brass tubing Then you need a hub on mydesign I cut sections of rubber tarp strap and drilled a hole in it For bearing Iused the metal screw eyes
September 11 2014 at 509 pm
hi
very goo I got our mouse trap car idea from this website thanks mr miller these aregreat ideas
September 18 2014 at 344 pm
Anonymous
this is so awesome broski
October 16 2014 at 242 pm
Anonymous
this website is so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
allie
so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
liv
Soooooooo helpfullllll Actually it really showed me what I could do for my own
March 30 2015 at 1240 pm
Anonymous
Thanks for creating this This is pretty Helpful
January 13 2015 at 252 pm
Anonymous
Its helpful because even when ur building one in science
January 14 2015 at 1012 am
Nobody
SO AWESOME
March 6 2015 at 1055 am
Anonymous
thats really cool i like it great job
March 30 2015 at 943 am
Damian
that is really cool
March 30 2015 at 948 am
Anonymous
great i love it
May 8 2015 at 1111 am
Bod
l love it so much i mad 24 cars i love the experiences it is life changing
May 8 2015 at 1113 am
May 11 2015 at 909 am
Anonymous
cool
Jenna
Excuse me I love your work but could you please tell me when you published thisarticle Thank you
August 31 2015 at 500 pm
Bill Kuhl
This webpage on mousetrap cars was redone last year I had a somewhat dierentwebpage for several years
August 31 2015 at 923 pm
Crush
How do you true the wheels axels and attach-point on the chassis Despite all myeorts the wheels and chassis still have wobble to them and the car doesnrsquot drivein a straight line I found it very diicult to get everything centered and aligned onall axis
October 13 2015 at 1145 pm
Bill Kuhl
Crush that was a good question Wheel wobble has to to do with how straight andsolid the hub axle joint is You need to make sure the wheel to the axle isperpendicular that is like a ldquoTrdquo The axle alignment with the chassis of the car hasto be that way also Some method of adjusting the steering and then setting it maybe desirable On my design I used the screw eyes in a way small adjustments couldbe done on the tracking Some Doc Fizzix cars pivot the front axle and then allowyou to tighten it down
October 14 2015 at 811 am
very helpful got an A on my project and im in 7th grade
October 19 2015 at 156 pm
a 7th gradernamedjacob
Bill Kuhl
Thank you Jacob in 7th grade it makes my eort seem worthwhile
October 19 2015 at 223 pm
Michel
Over-tightening could be in the same way harmful because under-tighteningExamples include motors as well as equipment assemblies
November 15 2015 at 207 am
KilenTora
This was a great help for me in science or I probably would of failed science Verydescriptive and easy to understand as well Thank you
January 4 2016 at 945 pm
JeerySmogelton
This is the best website I have ever seen OMG
February 1 2016 at 1032 am
Bill Kuhl
Mousetrap McGee somehow I doubt you are building a mousetrap car every 4hours but I canrsquot stop laughing reading your comment
February 12 2016 at 823 am
Do yuo doubt me I got over 700 hundred and countingg I typing with onehand becuase Irsquom making mousetrap cars with the other Irsquom beginnning to
March 4 2016 at 814 am
MousetrapMcGee
think I hava problem Please help me bill your my only hope 0
Halal
i like your thinking
-wolf
April 11 2016 at 610 pm
MousetrapMcGee
I used to not know how to make a mousetrap car This article has changes my lifeNow I make a mousetrap car every 4 hours This article has brought meaning to mylife Great Googly Moogly I never realized how awe-inspiring mousetrap cars canbe Golly Josh Darn it why didnrsquot I find this page before Now my warehouse hasapproximately 352 mousetrap cars and counting 0
February 12 2016 at 813 am
Ken M
These mousetrap cars have ruined my life I worked with my son to make one andhe proceeded to show his friends Now the whole neighborhood is littered withthese things I have gotten several complaints and even threatened with a lawsuitfrom my neighbors for harassment and assault from the injuries inquired from themouse trap Every morning I wake and slip on a mousetrap car down the stairs Ihave been to the hospital three times and my wife threatens to leave me Lastweekend a mousetrap car took my job and I am on the verge of losing my homeWhy hasnrsquot Obama stepped in to clean this mess up The federal government failsitrsquos citizens once again
March 9 2016 at 1050 am
Fat Fart
Yoursquore a legend
April 4 2016 at 1053 am
September 21 2017 at 1059 am
NoybNoybie
im screaming is this real
Alex
Irsquom planning to use this idea for a summer camp If I have the kids from 9am to4pm is this a 1 day project Or multi-days
March 19 2016 at 925 am
Bill Kuhl
I have been doing it within one 1 12 hour class This didnrsquot give much time torun the cars
March 19 2016 at 319 pm
me
this is good
March 31 2016 at 812 am
a person
this site was helpful
April 20 2016 at 731 am
Anonymous
legendary
April 22 2016 at 1112 am
May 3 2016 at 1230 pm
oicial_lover_of_mousetrap_cars
I made 500000 mousetrap cars and counting I have been making them since lastyear and I absolutely love them I have caught around 100000 mice from my houseand garage in total
hunter
100000 you say Seems quite excessive donrsquot you think
September 7 2017 at 1117 am
Eliza
May 10 2016 at 1227 pm
Cammie
Thatrsquos not just logic Thatrsquos really senbesli
July 17 2016 at 935 pm
Anonymous
very helpful thanks
July 20 2016 at 802 pm
Gerald
very helpful thank you for your help
July 20 2016 at 803 pm
Sarah
Thank you I am trying to reference this site can you tell me the date this page wascreated
August 25 2016 at 745 pm
Bill Kuhl
From the editor I see Published on Dec 13 2013 1136
Bill Kuhl
August 26 2016 at 1237 pm
Pingback 31Aug ndash Term1 Day18 ndash cvintroengcar
Anonomus
Realy helpful best site there is 3
October 24 2016 at 744 am
A BoardIndividual
The only truly good website for mousetrap cars there is good for science fairprojects 3
December 20 2016 at 650 am
Anonymous
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 339 pm
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 341 pm
minimuinninja
Lyn
Good article
June 8 2017 at 1248 pm
Mico
Hello there Maybe you could help me solve a problem on mousetrap car Do youhave any idea on how to turn the wheel of a mousetrap car The problem is weneed to avoid an obstacle 1 meter away and should get back to the line of distancefrom where my car starts The longest distance the car traveled from the obstacle isthe winner The vehicle must start from behind a start-line and then clear anobstacle as it travels the longest possible distance in the longitudinal directionfrom the start line The device must come to a rest as close as possible to a pointdirectly inline from its start location (ie minimise the transverse distance)
August 21 2017 at 404 am
Bill Kuhl
There was a rubber powered event that had to go around an obstacle but youcould make the steering adjustable to a fixed setting and then curve around theobstacle As far as stopping at a certain point there is a Doc Fizzix car like thatwhich uses a threaded rod and a wingnut One side of the wingnut goes in achannel You adjust where wingnut starts and when it gets to one side it stopsthe car
August 21 2017 at 940 am
Mamcee
-This Is Epic I Got Everything I Needed hellip THANK Yu
September 16 2017 at 1129 am
Anonymous
Excellent source of student language information Great project for my 5th gradestudents Excellent job
May 12 2014 at 930 am
DFB trikot2014
Awsome site I am loving it Will come back again I am taking your feeds also
May 30 2014 at 509 pm
snazzynazzy
I LOVE THIS WEBSITE I USED IT FOR MY PRIMARY CLASSES
August 14 2014 at 856 pm
Wolf
What is a primary class -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 457 pm
Wolf
Thanks for this info sadly for our project we canrsquot use kits But what do yourecommend for the axles I have been having trouble with them -Wolf
September 11 2014 at 456 pm
Bill Kuhl
If you look at my design for mousetrap car I used coat hanger wire try to findstraight sections Better kits use brass tubing Then you need a hub on mydesign I cut sections of rubber tarp strap and drilled a hole in it For bearing Iused the metal screw eyes
September 11 2014 at 509 pm
hi
very goo I got our mouse trap car idea from this website thanks mr miller these aregreat ideas
September 18 2014 at 344 pm
Anonymous
this is so awesome broski
October 16 2014 at 242 pm
Anonymous
this website is so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
allie
so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
liv
Soooooooo helpfullllll Actually it really showed me what I could do for my own
March 30 2015 at 1240 pm
Anonymous
Thanks for creating this This is pretty Helpful
January 13 2015 at 252 pm
Anonymous
Its helpful because even when ur building one in science
January 14 2015 at 1012 am
Nobody
SO AWESOME
March 6 2015 at 1055 am
Anonymous
thats really cool i like it great job
March 30 2015 at 943 am
Damian
that is really cool
March 30 2015 at 948 am
Anonymous
great i love it
May 8 2015 at 1111 am
Bod
l love it so much i mad 24 cars i love the experiences it is life changing
May 8 2015 at 1113 am
May 11 2015 at 909 am
Anonymous
cool
Jenna
Excuse me I love your work but could you please tell me when you published thisarticle Thank you
August 31 2015 at 500 pm
Bill Kuhl
This webpage on mousetrap cars was redone last year I had a somewhat dierentwebpage for several years
August 31 2015 at 923 pm
Crush
How do you true the wheels axels and attach-point on the chassis Despite all myeorts the wheels and chassis still have wobble to them and the car doesnrsquot drivein a straight line I found it very diicult to get everything centered and aligned onall axis
October 13 2015 at 1145 pm
Bill Kuhl
Crush that was a good question Wheel wobble has to to do with how straight andsolid the hub axle joint is You need to make sure the wheel to the axle isperpendicular that is like a ldquoTrdquo The axle alignment with the chassis of the car hasto be that way also Some method of adjusting the steering and then setting it maybe desirable On my design I used the screw eyes in a way small adjustments couldbe done on the tracking Some Doc Fizzix cars pivot the front axle and then allowyou to tighten it down
October 14 2015 at 811 am
very helpful got an A on my project and im in 7th grade
October 19 2015 at 156 pm
a 7th gradernamedjacob
Bill Kuhl
Thank you Jacob in 7th grade it makes my eort seem worthwhile
October 19 2015 at 223 pm
Michel
Over-tightening could be in the same way harmful because under-tighteningExamples include motors as well as equipment assemblies
November 15 2015 at 207 am
KilenTora
This was a great help for me in science or I probably would of failed science Verydescriptive and easy to understand as well Thank you
January 4 2016 at 945 pm
JeerySmogelton
This is the best website I have ever seen OMG
February 1 2016 at 1032 am
Bill Kuhl
Mousetrap McGee somehow I doubt you are building a mousetrap car every 4hours but I canrsquot stop laughing reading your comment
February 12 2016 at 823 am
Do yuo doubt me I got over 700 hundred and countingg I typing with onehand becuase Irsquom making mousetrap cars with the other Irsquom beginnning to
March 4 2016 at 814 am
MousetrapMcGee
think I hava problem Please help me bill your my only hope 0
Halal
i like your thinking
-wolf
April 11 2016 at 610 pm
MousetrapMcGee
I used to not know how to make a mousetrap car This article has changes my lifeNow I make a mousetrap car every 4 hours This article has brought meaning to mylife Great Googly Moogly I never realized how awe-inspiring mousetrap cars canbe Golly Josh Darn it why didnrsquot I find this page before Now my warehouse hasapproximately 352 mousetrap cars and counting 0
February 12 2016 at 813 am
Ken M
These mousetrap cars have ruined my life I worked with my son to make one andhe proceeded to show his friends Now the whole neighborhood is littered withthese things I have gotten several complaints and even threatened with a lawsuitfrom my neighbors for harassment and assault from the injuries inquired from themouse trap Every morning I wake and slip on a mousetrap car down the stairs Ihave been to the hospital three times and my wife threatens to leave me Lastweekend a mousetrap car took my job and I am on the verge of losing my homeWhy hasnrsquot Obama stepped in to clean this mess up The federal government failsitrsquos citizens once again
March 9 2016 at 1050 am
Fat Fart
Yoursquore a legend
April 4 2016 at 1053 am
September 21 2017 at 1059 am
NoybNoybie
im screaming is this real
Alex
Irsquom planning to use this idea for a summer camp If I have the kids from 9am to4pm is this a 1 day project Or multi-days
March 19 2016 at 925 am
Bill Kuhl
I have been doing it within one 1 12 hour class This didnrsquot give much time torun the cars
March 19 2016 at 319 pm
me
this is good
March 31 2016 at 812 am
a person
this site was helpful
April 20 2016 at 731 am
Anonymous
legendary
April 22 2016 at 1112 am
May 3 2016 at 1230 pm
oicial_lover_of_mousetrap_cars
I made 500000 mousetrap cars and counting I have been making them since lastyear and I absolutely love them I have caught around 100000 mice from my houseand garage in total
hunter
100000 you say Seems quite excessive donrsquot you think
September 7 2017 at 1117 am
Eliza
May 10 2016 at 1227 pm
Cammie
Thatrsquos not just logic Thatrsquos really senbesli
July 17 2016 at 935 pm
Anonymous
very helpful thanks
July 20 2016 at 802 pm
Gerald
very helpful thank you for your help
July 20 2016 at 803 pm
Sarah
Thank you I am trying to reference this site can you tell me the date this page wascreated
August 25 2016 at 745 pm
Bill Kuhl
From the editor I see Published on Dec 13 2013 1136
Bill Kuhl
August 26 2016 at 1237 pm
Pingback 31Aug ndash Term1 Day18 ndash cvintroengcar
Anonomus
Realy helpful best site there is 3
October 24 2016 at 744 am
A BoardIndividual
The only truly good website for mousetrap cars there is good for science fairprojects 3
December 20 2016 at 650 am
Anonymous
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 339 pm
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 341 pm
minimuinninja
Lyn
Good article
June 8 2017 at 1248 pm
Mico
Hello there Maybe you could help me solve a problem on mousetrap car Do youhave any idea on how to turn the wheel of a mousetrap car The problem is weneed to avoid an obstacle 1 meter away and should get back to the line of distancefrom where my car starts The longest distance the car traveled from the obstacle isthe winner The vehicle must start from behind a start-line and then clear anobstacle as it travels the longest possible distance in the longitudinal directionfrom the start line The device must come to a rest as close as possible to a pointdirectly inline from its start location (ie minimise the transverse distance)
August 21 2017 at 404 am
Bill Kuhl
There was a rubber powered event that had to go around an obstacle but youcould make the steering adjustable to a fixed setting and then curve around theobstacle As far as stopping at a certain point there is a Doc Fizzix car like thatwhich uses a threaded rod and a wingnut One side of the wingnut goes in achannel You adjust where wingnut starts and when it gets to one side it stopsthe car
August 21 2017 at 940 am
Mamcee
-This Is Epic I Got Everything I Needed hellip THANK Yu
September 16 2017 at 1129 am
hi
very goo I got our mouse trap car idea from this website thanks mr miller these aregreat ideas
September 18 2014 at 344 pm
Anonymous
this is so awesome broski
October 16 2014 at 242 pm
Anonymous
this website is so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
allie
so helpful
December 12 2014 at 1027 am
liv
Soooooooo helpfullllll Actually it really showed me what I could do for my own
March 30 2015 at 1240 pm
Anonymous
Thanks for creating this This is pretty Helpful
January 13 2015 at 252 pm
Anonymous
Its helpful because even when ur building one in science
January 14 2015 at 1012 am
Nobody
SO AWESOME
March 6 2015 at 1055 am
Anonymous
thats really cool i like it great job
March 30 2015 at 943 am
Damian
that is really cool
March 30 2015 at 948 am
Anonymous
great i love it
May 8 2015 at 1111 am
Bod
l love it so much i mad 24 cars i love the experiences it is life changing
May 8 2015 at 1113 am
May 11 2015 at 909 am
Anonymous
cool
Jenna
Excuse me I love your work but could you please tell me when you published thisarticle Thank you
August 31 2015 at 500 pm
Bill Kuhl
This webpage on mousetrap cars was redone last year I had a somewhat dierentwebpage for several years
August 31 2015 at 923 pm
Crush
How do you true the wheels axels and attach-point on the chassis Despite all myeorts the wheels and chassis still have wobble to them and the car doesnrsquot drivein a straight line I found it very diicult to get everything centered and aligned onall axis
October 13 2015 at 1145 pm
Bill Kuhl
Crush that was a good question Wheel wobble has to to do with how straight andsolid the hub axle joint is You need to make sure the wheel to the axle isperpendicular that is like a ldquoTrdquo The axle alignment with the chassis of the car hasto be that way also Some method of adjusting the steering and then setting it maybe desirable On my design I used the screw eyes in a way small adjustments couldbe done on the tracking Some Doc Fizzix cars pivot the front axle and then allowyou to tighten it down
October 14 2015 at 811 am
very helpful got an A on my project and im in 7th grade
October 19 2015 at 156 pm
a 7th gradernamedjacob
Bill Kuhl
Thank you Jacob in 7th grade it makes my eort seem worthwhile
October 19 2015 at 223 pm
Michel
Over-tightening could be in the same way harmful because under-tighteningExamples include motors as well as equipment assemblies
November 15 2015 at 207 am
KilenTora
This was a great help for me in science or I probably would of failed science Verydescriptive and easy to understand as well Thank you
January 4 2016 at 945 pm
JeerySmogelton
This is the best website I have ever seen OMG
February 1 2016 at 1032 am
Bill Kuhl
Mousetrap McGee somehow I doubt you are building a mousetrap car every 4hours but I canrsquot stop laughing reading your comment
February 12 2016 at 823 am
Do yuo doubt me I got over 700 hundred and countingg I typing with onehand becuase Irsquom making mousetrap cars with the other Irsquom beginnning to
March 4 2016 at 814 am
MousetrapMcGee
think I hava problem Please help me bill your my only hope 0
Halal
i like your thinking
-wolf
April 11 2016 at 610 pm
MousetrapMcGee
I used to not know how to make a mousetrap car This article has changes my lifeNow I make a mousetrap car every 4 hours This article has brought meaning to mylife Great Googly Moogly I never realized how awe-inspiring mousetrap cars canbe Golly Josh Darn it why didnrsquot I find this page before Now my warehouse hasapproximately 352 mousetrap cars and counting 0
February 12 2016 at 813 am
Ken M
These mousetrap cars have ruined my life I worked with my son to make one andhe proceeded to show his friends Now the whole neighborhood is littered withthese things I have gotten several complaints and even threatened with a lawsuitfrom my neighbors for harassment and assault from the injuries inquired from themouse trap Every morning I wake and slip on a mousetrap car down the stairs Ihave been to the hospital three times and my wife threatens to leave me Lastweekend a mousetrap car took my job and I am on the verge of losing my homeWhy hasnrsquot Obama stepped in to clean this mess up The federal government failsitrsquos citizens once again
March 9 2016 at 1050 am
Fat Fart
Yoursquore a legend
April 4 2016 at 1053 am
September 21 2017 at 1059 am
NoybNoybie
im screaming is this real
Alex
Irsquom planning to use this idea for a summer camp If I have the kids from 9am to4pm is this a 1 day project Or multi-days
March 19 2016 at 925 am
Bill Kuhl
I have been doing it within one 1 12 hour class This didnrsquot give much time torun the cars
March 19 2016 at 319 pm
me
this is good
March 31 2016 at 812 am
a person
this site was helpful
April 20 2016 at 731 am
Anonymous
legendary
April 22 2016 at 1112 am
May 3 2016 at 1230 pm
oicial_lover_of_mousetrap_cars
I made 500000 mousetrap cars and counting I have been making them since lastyear and I absolutely love them I have caught around 100000 mice from my houseand garage in total
hunter
100000 you say Seems quite excessive donrsquot you think
September 7 2017 at 1117 am
Eliza
May 10 2016 at 1227 pm
Cammie
Thatrsquos not just logic Thatrsquos really senbesli
July 17 2016 at 935 pm
Anonymous
very helpful thanks
July 20 2016 at 802 pm
Gerald
very helpful thank you for your help
July 20 2016 at 803 pm
Sarah
Thank you I am trying to reference this site can you tell me the date this page wascreated
August 25 2016 at 745 pm
Bill Kuhl
From the editor I see Published on Dec 13 2013 1136
Bill Kuhl
August 26 2016 at 1237 pm
Pingback 31Aug ndash Term1 Day18 ndash cvintroengcar
Anonomus
Realy helpful best site there is 3
October 24 2016 at 744 am
A BoardIndividual
The only truly good website for mousetrap cars there is good for science fairprojects 3
December 20 2016 at 650 am
Anonymous
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 339 pm
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 341 pm
minimuinninja
Lyn
Good article
June 8 2017 at 1248 pm
Mico
Hello there Maybe you could help me solve a problem on mousetrap car Do youhave any idea on how to turn the wheel of a mousetrap car The problem is weneed to avoid an obstacle 1 meter away and should get back to the line of distancefrom where my car starts The longest distance the car traveled from the obstacle isthe winner The vehicle must start from behind a start-line and then clear anobstacle as it travels the longest possible distance in the longitudinal directionfrom the start line The device must come to a rest as close as possible to a pointdirectly inline from its start location (ie minimise the transverse distance)
August 21 2017 at 404 am
Bill Kuhl
There was a rubber powered event that had to go around an obstacle but youcould make the steering adjustable to a fixed setting and then curve around theobstacle As far as stopping at a certain point there is a Doc Fizzix car like thatwhich uses a threaded rod and a wingnut One side of the wingnut goes in achannel You adjust where wingnut starts and when it gets to one side it stopsthe car
August 21 2017 at 940 am
Mamcee
-This Is Epic I Got Everything I Needed hellip THANK Yu
September 16 2017 at 1129 am
Anonymous
Its helpful because even when ur building one in science
January 14 2015 at 1012 am
Nobody
SO AWESOME
March 6 2015 at 1055 am
Anonymous
thats really cool i like it great job
March 30 2015 at 943 am
Damian
that is really cool
March 30 2015 at 948 am
Anonymous
great i love it
May 8 2015 at 1111 am
Bod
l love it so much i mad 24 cars i love the experiences it is life changing
May 8 2015 at 1113 am
May 11 2015 at 909 am
Anonymous
cool
Jenna
Excuse me I love your work but could you please tell me when you published thisarticle Thank you
August 31 2015 at 500 pm
Bill Kuhl
This webpage on mousetrap cars was redone last year I had a somewhat dierentwebpage for several years
August 31 2015 at 923 pm
Crush
How do you true the wheels axels and attach-point on the chassis Despite all myeorts the wheels and chassis still have wobble to them and the car doesnrsquot drivein a straight line I found it very diicult to get everything centered and aligned onall axis
October 13 2015 at 1145 pm
Bill Kuhl
Crush that was a good question Wheel wobble has to to do with how straight andsolid the hub axle joint is You need to make sure the wheel to the axle isperpendicular that is like a ldquoTrdquo The axle alignment with the chassis of the car hasto be that way also Some method of adjusting the steering and then setting it maybe desirable On my design I used the screw eyes in a way small adjustments couldbe done on the tracking Some Doc Fizzix cars pivot the front axle and then allowyou to tighten it down
October 14 2015 at 811 am
very helpful got an A on my project and im in 7th grade
October 19 2015 at 156 pm
a 7th gradernamedjacob
Bill Kuhl
Thank you Jacob in 7th grade it makes my eort seem worthwhile
October 19 2015 at 223 pm
Michel
Over-tightening could be in the same way harmful because under-tighteningExamples include motors as well as equipment assemblies
November 15 2015 at 207 am
KilenTora
This was a great help for me in science or I probably would of failed science Verydescriptive and easy to understand as well Thank you
January 4 2016 at 945 pm
JeerySmogelton
This is the best website I have ever seen OMG
February 1 2016 at 1032 am
Bill Kuhl
Mousetrap McGee somehow I doubt you are building a mousetrap car every 4hours but I canrsquot stop laughing reading your comment
February 12 2016 at 823 am
Do yuo doubt me I got over 700 hundred and countingg I typing with onehand becuase Irsquom making mousetrap cars with the other Irsquom beginnning to
March 4 2016 at 814 am
MousetrapMcGee
think I hava problem Please help me bill your my only hope 0
Halal
i like your thinking
-wolf
April 11 2016 at 610 pm
MousetrapMcGee
I used to not know how to make a mousetrap car This article has changes my lifeNow I make a mousetrap car every 4 hours This article has brought meaning to mylife Great Googly Moogly I never realized how awe-inspiring mousetrap cars canbe Golly Josh Darn it why didnrsquot I find this page before Now my warehouse hasapproximately 352 mousetrap cars and counting 0
February 12 2016 at 813 am
Ken M
These mousetrap cars have ruined my life I worked with my son to make one andhe proceeded to show his friends Now the whole neighborhood is littered withthese things I have gotten several complaints and even threatened with a lawsuitfrom my neighbors for harassment and assault from the injuries inquired from themouse trap Every morning I wake and slip on a mousetrap car down the stairs Ihave been to the hospital three times and my wife threatens to leave me Lastweekend a mousetrap car took my job and I am on the verge of losing my homeWhy hasnrsquot Obama stepped in to clean this mess up The federal government failsitrsquos citizens once again
March 9 2016 at 1050 am
Fat Fart
Yoursquore a legend
April 4 2016 at 1053 am
September 21 2017 at 1059 am
NoybNoybie
im screaming is this real
Alex
Irsquom planning to use this idea for a summer camp If I have the kids from 9am to4pm is this a 1 day project Or multi-days
March 19 2016 at 925 am
Bill Kuhl
I have been doing it within one 1 12 hour class This didnrsquot give much time torun the cars
March 19 2016 at 319 pm
me
this is good
March 31 2016 at 812 am
a person
this site was helpful
April 20 2016 at 731 am
Anonymous
legendary
April 22 2016 at 1112 am
May 3 2016 at 1230 pm
oicial_lover_of_mousetrap_cars
I made 500000 mousetrap cars and counting I have been making them since lastyear and I absolutely love them I have caught around 100000 mice from my houseand garage in total
hunter
100000 you say Seems quite excessive donrsquot you think
September 7 2017 at 1117 am
Eliza
May 10 2016 at 1227 pm
Cammie
Thatrsquos not just logic Thatrsquos really senbesli
July 17 2016 at 935 pm
Anonymous
very helpful thanks
July 20 2016 at 802 pm
Gerald
very helpful thank you for your help
July 20 2016 at 803 pm
Sarah
Thank you I am trying to reference this site can you tell me the date this page wascreated
August 25 2016 at 745 pm
Bill Kuhl
From the editor I see Published on Dec 13 2013 1136
Bill Kuhl
August 26 2016 at 1237 pm
Pingback 31Aug ndash Term1 Day18 ndash cvintroengcar
Anonomus
Realy helpful best site there is 3
October 24 2016 at 744 am
A BoardIndividual
The only truly good website for mousetrap cars there is good for science fairprojects 3
December 20 2016 at 650 am
Anonymous
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 339 pm
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 341 pm
minimuinninja
Lyn
Good article
June 8 2017 at 1248 pm
Mico
Hello there Maybe you could help me solve a problem on mousetrap car Do youhave any idea on how to turn the wheel of a mousetrap car The problem is weneed to avoid an obstacle 1 meter away and should get back to the line of distancefrom where my car starts The longest distance the car traveled from the obstacle isthe winner The vehicle must start from behind a start-line and then clear anobstacle as it travels the longest possible distance in the longitudinal directionfrom the start line The device must come to a rest as close as possible to a pointdirectly inline from its start location (ie minimise the transverse distance)
August 21 2017 at 404 am
Bill Kuhl
There was a rubber powered event that had to go around an obstacle but youcould make the steering adjustable to a fixed setting and then curve around theobstacle As far as stopping at a certain point there is a Doc Fizzix car like thatwhich uses a threaded rod and a wingnut One side of the wingnut goes in achannel You adjust where wingnut starts and when it gets to one side it stopsthe car
August 21 2017 at 940 am
Mamcee
-This Is Epic I Got Everything I Needed hellip THANK Yu
September 16 2017 at 1129 am
Anonymous
cool
Jenna
Excuse me I love your work but could you please tell me when you published thisarticle Thank you
August 31 2015 at 500 pm
Bill Kuhl
This webpage on mousetrap cars was redone last year I had a somewhat dierentwebpage for several years
August 31 2015 at 923 pm
Crush
How do you true the wheels axels and attach-point on the chassis Despite all myeorts the wheels and chassis still have wobble to them and the car doesnrsquot drivein a straight line I found it very diicult to get everything centered and aligned onall axis
October 13 2015 at 1145 pm
Bill Kuhl
Crush that was a good question Wheel wobble has to to do with how straight andsolid the hub axle joint is You need to make sure the wheel to the axle isperpendicular that is like a ldquoTrdquo The axle alignment with the chassis of the car hasto be that way also Some method of adjusting the steering and then setting it maybe desirable On my design I used the screw eyes in a way small adjustments couldbe done on the tracking Some Doc Fizzix cars pivot the front axle and then allowyou to tighten it down
October 14 2015 at 811 am
very helpful got an A on my project and im in 7th grade
October 19 2015 at 156 pm
a 7th gradernamedjacob
Bill Kuhl
Thank you Jacob in 7th grade it makes my eort seem worthwhile
October 19 2015 at 223 pm
Michel
Over-tightening could be in the same way harmful because under-tighteningExamples include motors as well as equipment assemblies
November 15 2015 at 207 am
KilenTora
This was a great help for me in science or I probably would of failed science Verydescriptive and easy to understand as well Thank you
January 4 2016 at 945 pm
JeerySmogelton
This is the best website I have ever seen OMG
February 1 2016 at 1032 am
Bill Kuhl
Mousetrap McGee somehow I doubt you are building a mousetrap car every 4hours but I canrsquot stop laughing reading your comment
February 12 2016 at 823 am
Do yuo doubt me I got over 700 hundred and countingg I typing with onehand becuase Irsquom making mousetrap cars with the other Irsquom beginnning to
March 4 2016 at 814 am
MousetrapMcGee
think I hava problem Please help me bill your my only hope 0
Halal
i like your thinking
-wolf
April 11 2016 at 610 pm
MousetrapMcGee
I used to not know how to make a mousetrap car This article has changes my lifeNow I make a mousetrap car every 4 hours This article has brought meaning to mylife Great Googly Moogly I never realized how awe-inspiring mousetrap cars canbe Golly Josh Darn it why didnrsquot I find this page before Now my warehouse hasapproximately 352 mousetrap cars and counting 0
February 12 2016 at 813 am
Ken M
These mousetrap cars have ruined my life I worked with my son to make one andhe proceeded to show his friends Now the whole neighborhood is littered withthese things I have gotten several complaints and even threatened with a lawsuitfrom my neighbors for harassment and assault from the injuries inquired from themouse trap Every morning I wake and slip on a mousetrap car down the stairs Ihave been to the hospital three times and my wife threatens to leave me Lastweekend a mousetrap car took my job and I am on the verge of losing my homeWhy hasnrsquot Obama stepped in to clean this mess up The federal government failsitrsquos citizens once again
March 9 2016 at 1050 am
Fat Fart
Yoursquore a legend
April 4 2016 at 1053 am
September 21 2017 at 1059 am
NoybNoybie
im screaming is this real
Alex
Irsquom planning to use this idea for a summer camp If I have the kids from 9am to4pm is this a 1 day project Or multi-days
March 19 2016 at 925 am
Bill Kuhl
I have been doing it within one 1 12 hour class This didnrsquot give much time torun the cars
March 19 2016 at 319 pm
me
this is good
March 31 2016 at 812 am
a person
this site was helpful
April 20 2016 at 731 am
Anonymous
legendary
April 22 2016 at 1112 am
May 3 2016 at 1230 pm
oicial_lover_of_mousetrap_cars
I made 500000 mousetrap cars and counting I have been making them since lastyear and I absolutely love them I have caught around 100000 mice from my houseand garage in total
hunter
100000 you say Seems quite excessive donrsquot you think
September 7 2017 at 1117 am
Eliza
May 10 2016 at 1227 pm
Cammie
Thatrsquos not just logic Thatrsquos really senbesli
July 17 2016 at 935 pm
Anonymous
very helpful thanks
July 20 2016 at 802 pm
Gerald
very helpful thank you for your help
July 20 2016 at 803 pm
Sarah
Thank you I am trying to reference this site can you tell me the date this page wascreated
August 25 2016 at 745 pm
Bill Kuhl
From the editor I see Published on Dec 13 2013 1136
Bill Kuhl
August 26 2016 at 1237 pm
Pingback 31Aug ndash Term1 Day18 ndash cvintroengcar
Anonomus
Realy helpful best site there is 3
October 24 2016 at 744 am
A BoardIndividual
The only truly good website for mousetrap cars there is good for science fairprojects 3
December 20 2016 at 650 am
Anonymous
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 339 pm
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 341 pm
minimuinninja
Lyn
Good article
June 8 2017 at 1248 pm
Mico
Hello there Maybe you could help me solve a problem on mousetrap car Do youhave any idea on how to turn the wheel of a mousetrap car The problem is weneed to avoid an obstacle 1 meter away and should get back to the line of distancefrom where my car starts The longest distance the car traveled from the obstacle isthe winner The vehicle must start from behind a start-line and then clear anobstacle as it travels the longest possible distance in the longitudinal directionfrom the start line The device must come to a rest as close as possible to a pointdirectly inline from its start location (ie minimise the transverse distance)
August 21 2017 at 404 am
Bill Kuhl
There was a rubber powered event that had to go around an obstacle but youcould make the steering adjustable to a fixed setting and then curve around theobstacle As far as stopping at a certain point there is a Doc Fizzix car like thatwhich uses a threaded rod and a wingnut One side of the wingnut goes in achannel You adjust where wingnut starts and when it gets to one side it stopsthe car
August 21 2017 at 940 am
Mamcee
-This Is Epic I Got Everything I Needed hellip THANK Yu
September 16 2017 at 1129 am
a 7th gradernamedjacob
Bill Kuhl
Thank you Jacob in 7th grade it makes my eort seem worthwhile
October 19 2015 at 223 pm
Michel
Over-tightening could be in the same way harmful because under-tighteningExamples include motors as well as equipment assemblies
November 15 2015 at 207 am
KilenTora
This was a great help for me in science or I probably would of failed science Verydescriptive and easy to understand as well Thank you
January 4 2016 at 945 pm
JeerySmogelton
This is the best website I have ever seen OMG
February 1 2016 at 1032 am
Bill Kuhl
Mousetrap McGee somehow I doubt you are building a mousetrap car every 4hours but I canrsquot stop laughing reading your comment
February 12 2016 at 823 am
Do yuo doubt me I got over 700 hundred and countingg I typing with onehand becuase Irsquom making mousetrap cars with the other Irsquom beginnning to
March 4 2016 at 814 am
MousetrapMcGee
think I hava problem Please help me bill your my only hope 0
Halal
i like your thinking
-wolf
April 11 2016 at 610 pm
MousetrapMcGee
I used to not know how to make a mousetrap car This article has changes my lifeNow I make a mousetrap car every 4 hours This article has brought meaning to mylife Great Googly Moogly I never realized how awe-inspiring mousetrap cars canbe Golly Josh Darn it why didnrsquot I find this page before Now my warehouse hasapproximately 352 mousetrap cars and counting 0
February 12 2016 at 813 am
Ken M
These mousetrap cars have ruined my life I worked with my son to make one andhe proceeded to show his friends Now the whole neighborhood is littered withthese things I have gotten several complaints and even threatened with a lawsuitfrom my neighbors for harassment and assault from the injuries inquired from themouse trap Every morning I wake and slip on a mousetrap car down the stairs Ihave been to the hospital three times and my wife threatens to leave me Lastweekend a mousetrap car took my job and I am on the verge of losing my homeWhy hasnrsquot Obama stepped in to clean this mess up The federal government failsitrsquos citizens once again
March 9 2016 at 1050 am
Fat Fart
Yoursquore a legend
April 4 2016 at 1053 am
September 21 2017 at 1059 am
NoybNoybie
im screaming is this real
Alex
Irsquom planning to use this idea for a summer camp If I have the kids from 9am to4pm is this a 1 day project Or multi-days
March 19 2016 at 925 am
Bill Kuhl
I have been doing it within one 1 12 hour class This didnrsquot give much time torun the cars
March 19 2016 at 319 pm
me
this is good
March 31 2016 at 812 am
a person
this site was helpful
April 20 2016 at 731 am
Anonymous
legendary
April 22 2016 at 1112 am
May 3 2016 at 1230 pm
oicial_lover_of_mousetrap_cars
I made 500000 mousetrap cars and counting I have been making them since lastyear and I absolutely love them I have caught around 100000 mice from my houseand garage in total
hunter
100000 you say Seems quite excessive donrsquot you think
September 7 2017 at 1117 am
Eliza
May 10 2016 at 1227 pm
Cammie
Thatrsquos not just logic Thatrsquos really senbesli
July 17 2016 at 935 pm
Anonymous
very helpful thanks
July 20 2016 at 802 pm
Gerald
very helpful thank you for your help
July 20 2016 at 803 pm
Sarah
Thank you I am trying to reference this site can you tell me the date this page wascreated
August 25 2016 at 745 pm
Bill Kuhl
From the editor I see Published on Dec 13 2013 1136
Bill Kuhl
August 26 2016 at 1237 pm
Pingback 31Aug ndash Term1 Day18 ndash cvintroengcar
Anonomus
Realy helpful best site there is 3
October 24 2016 at 744 am
A BoardIndividual
The only truly good website for mousetrap cars there is good for science fairprojects 3
December 20 2016 at 650 am
Anonymous
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 339 pm
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 341 pm
minimuinninja
Lyn
Good article
June 8 2017 at 1248 pm
Mico
Hello there Maybe you could help me solve a problem on mousetrap car Do youhave any idea on how to turn the wheel of a mousetrap car The problem is weneed to avoid an obstacle 1 meter away and should get back to the line of distancefrom where my car starts The longest distance the car traveled from the obstacle isthe winner The vehicle must start from behind a start-line and then clear anobstacle as it travels the longest possible distance in the longitudinal directionfrom the start line The device must come to a rest as close as possible to a pointdirectly inline from its start location (ie minimise the transverse distance)
August 21 2017 at 404 am
Bill Kuhl
There was a rubber powered event that had to go around an obstacle but youcould make the steering adjustable to a fixed setting and then curve around theobstacle As far as stopping at a certain point there is a Doc Fizzix car like thatwhich uses a threaded rod and a wingnut One side of the wingnut goes in achannel You adjust where wingnut starts and when it gets to one side it stopsthe car
August 21 2017 at 940 am
Mamcee
-This Is Epic I Got Everything I Needed hellip THANK Yu
September 16 2017 at 1129 am
MousetrapMcGee
think I hava problem Please help me bill your my only hope 0
Halal
i like your thinking
-wolf
April 11 2016 at 610 pm
MousetrapMcGee
I used to not know how to make a mousetrap car This article has changes my lifeNow I make a mousetrap car every 4 hours This article has brought meaning to mylife Great Googly Moogly I never realized how awe-inspiring mousetrap cars canbe Golly Josh Darn it why didnrsquot I find this page before Now my warehouse hasapproximately 352 mousetrap cars and counting 0
February 12 2016 at 813 am
Ken M
These mousetrap cars have ruined my life I worked with my son to make one andhe proceeded to show his friends Now the whole neighborhood is littered withthese things I have gotten several complaints and even threatened with a lawsuitfrom my neighbors for harassment and assault from the injuries inquired from themouse trap Every morning I wake and slip on a mousetrap car down the stairs Ihave been to the hospital three times and my wife threatens to leave me Lastweekend a mousetrap car took my job and I am on the verge of losing my homeWhy hasnrsquot Obama stepped in to clean this mess up The federal government failsitrsquos citizens once again
March 9 2016 at 1050 am
Fat Fart
Yoursquore a legend
April 4 2016 at 1053 am
September 21 2017 at 1059 am
NoybNoybie
im screaming is this real
Alex
Irsquom planning to use this idea for a summer camp If I have the kids from 9am to4pm is this a 1 day project Or multi-days
March 19 2016 at 925 am
Bill Kuhl
I have been doing it within one 1 12 hour class This didnrsquot give much time torun the cars
March 19 2016 at 319 pm
me
this is good
March 31 2016 at 812 am
a person
this site was helpful
April 20 2016 at 731 am
Anonymous
legendary
April 22 2016 at 1112 am
May 3 2016 at 1230 pm
oicial_lover_of_mousetrap_cars
I made 500000 mousetrap cars and counting I have been making them since lastyear and I absolutely love them I have caught around 100000 mice from my houseand garage in total
hunter
100000 you say Seems quite excessive donrsquot you think
September 7 2017 at 1117 am
Eliza
May 10 2016 at 1227 pm
Cammie
Thatrsquos not just logic Thatrsquos really senbesli
July 17 2016 at 935 pm
Anonymous
very helpful thanks
July 20 2016 at 802 pm
Gerald
very helpful thank you for your help
July 20 2016 at 803 pm
Sarah
Thank you I am trying to reference this site can you tell me the date this page wascreated
August 25 2016 at 745 pm
Bill Kuhl
From the editor I see Published on Dec 13 2013 1136
Bill Kuhl
August 26 2016 at 1237 pm
Pingback 31Aug ndash Term1 Day18 ndash cvintroengcar
Anonomus
Realy helpful best site there is 3
October 24 2016 at 744 am
A BoardIndividual
The only truly good website for mousetrap cars there is good for science fairprojects 3
December 20 2016 at 650 am
Anonymous
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 339 pm
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 341 pm
minimuinninja
Lyn
Good article
June 8 2017 at 1248 pm
Mico
Hello there Maybe you could help me solve a problem on mousetrap car Do youhave any idea on how to turn the wheel of a mousetrap car The problem is weneed to avoid an obstacle 1 meter away and should get back to the line of distancefrom where my car starts The longest distance the car traveled from the obstacle isthe winner The vehicle must start from behind a start-line and then clear anobstacle as it travels the longest possible distance in the longitudinal directionfrom the start line The device must come to a rest as close as possible to a pointdirectly inline from its start location (ie minimise the transverse distance)
August 21 2017 at 404 am
Bill Kuhl
There was a rubber powered event that had to go around an obstacle but youcould make the steering adjustable to a fixed setting and then curve around theobstacle As far as stopping at a certain point there is a Doc Fizzix car like thatwhich uses a threaded rod and a wingnut One side of the wingnut goes in achannel You adjust where wingnut starts and when it gets to one side it stopsthe car
August 21 2017 at 940 am
Mamcee
-This Is Epic I Got Everything I Needed hellip THANK Yu
September 16 2017 at 1129 am
NoybNoybie
im screaming is this real
Alex
Irsquom planning to use this idea for a summer camp If I have the kids from 9am to4pm is this a 1 day project Or multi-days
March 19 2016 at 925 am
Bill Kuhl
I have been doing it within one 1 12 hour class This didnrsquot give much time torun the cars
March 19 2016 at 319 pm
me
this is good
March 31 2016 at 812 am
a person
this site was helpful
April 20 2016 at 731 am
Anonymous
legendary
April 22 2016 at 1112 am
May 3 2016 at 1230 pm
oicial_lover_of_mousetrap_cars
I made 500000 mousetrap cars and counting I have been making them since lastyear and I absolutely love them I have caught around 100000 mice from my houseand garage in total
hunter
100000 you say Seems quite excessive donrsquot you think
September 7 2017 at 1117 am
Eliza
May 10 2016 at 1227 pm
Cammie
Thatrsquos not just logic Thatrsquos really senbesli
July 17 2016 at 935 pm
Anonymous
very helpful thanks
July 20 2016 at 802 pm
Gerald
very helpful thank you for your help
July 20 2016 at 803 pm
Sarah
Thank you I am trying to reference this site can you tell me the date this page wascreated
August 25 2016 at 745 pm
Bill Kuhl
From the editor I see Published on Dec 13 2013 1136
Bill Kuhl
August 26 2016 at 1237 pm
Pingback 31Aug ndash Term1 Day18 ndash cvintroengcar
Anonomus
Realy helpful best site there is 3
October 24 2016 at 744 am
A BoardIndividual
The only truly good website for mousetrap cars there is good for science fairprojects 3
December 20 2016 at 650 am
Anonymous
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 339 pm
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 341 pm
minimuinninja
Lyn
Good article
June 8 2017 at 1248 pm
Mico
Hello there Maybe you could help me solve a problem on mousetrap car Do youhave any idea on how to turn the wheel of a mousetrap car The problem is weneed to avoid an obstacle 1 meter away and should get back to the line of distancefrom where my car starts The longest distance the car traveled from the obstacle isthe winner The vehicle must start from behind a start-line and then clear anobstacle as it travels the longest possible distance in the longitudinal directionfrom the start line The device must come to a rest as close as possible to a pointdirectly inline from its start location (ie minimise the transverse distance)
August 21 2017 at 404 am
Bill Kuhl
There was a rubber powered event that had to go around an obstacle but youcould make the steering adjustable to a fixed setting and then curve around theobstacle As far as stopping at a certain point there is a Doc Fizzix car like thatwhich uses a threaded rod and a wingnut One side of the wingnut goes in achannel You adjust where wingnut starts and when it gets to one side it stopsthe car
August 21 2017 at 940 am
Mamcee
-This Is Epic I Got Everything I Needed hellip THANK Yu
September 16 2017 at 1129 am
oicial_lover_of_mousetrap_cars
I made 500000 mousetrap cars and counting I have been making them since lastyear and I absolutely love them I have caught around 100000 mice from my houseand garage in total
hunter
100000 you say Seems quite excessive donrsquot you think
September 7 2017 at 1117 am
Eliza
May 10 2016 at 1227 pm
Cammie
Thatrsquos not just logic Thatrsquos really senbesli
July 17 2016 at 935 pm
Anonymous
very helpful thanks
July 20 2016 at 802 pm
Gerald
very helpful thank you for your help
July 20 2016 at 803 pm
Sarah
Thank you I am trying to reference this site can you tell me the date this page wascreated
August 25 2016 at 745 pm
Bill Kuhl
From the editor I see Published on Dec 13 2013 1136
Bill Kuhl
August 26 2016 at 1237 pm
Pingback 31Aug ndash Term1 Day18 ndash cvintroengcar
Anonomus
Realy helpful best site there is 3
October 24 2016 at 744 am
A BoardIndividual
The only truly good website for mousetrap cars there is good for science fairprojects 3
December 20 2016 at 650 am
Anonymous
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 339 pm
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 341 pm
minimuinninja
Lyn
Good article
June 8 2017 at 1248 pm
Mico
Hello there Maybe you could help me solve a problem on mousetrap car Do youhave any idea on how to turn the wheel of a mousetrap car The problem is weneed to avoid an obstacle 1 meter away and should get back to the line of distancefrom where my car starts The longest distance the car traveled from the obstacle isthe winner The vehicle must start from behind a start-line and then clear anobstacle as it travels the longest possible distance in the longitudinal directionfrom the start line The device must come to a rest as close as possible to a pointdirectly inline from its start location (ie minimise the transverse distance)
August 21 2017 at 404 am
Bill Kuhl
There was a rubber powered event that had to go around an obstacle but youcould make the steering adjustable to a fixed setting and then curve around theobstacle As far as stopping at a certain point there is a Doc Fizzix car like thatwhich uses a threaded rod and a wingnut One side of the wingnut goes in achannel You adjust where wingnut starts and when it gets to one side it stopsthe car
August 21 2017 at 940 am
Mamcee
-This Is Epic I Got Everything I Needed hellip THANK Yu
September 16 2017 at 1129 am
Sarah
Thank you I am trying to reference this site can you tell me the date this page wascreated
August 25 2016 at 745 pm
Bill Kuhl
From the editor I see Published on Dec 13 2013 1136
Bill Kuhl
August 26 2016 at 1237 pm
Pingback 31Aug ndash Term1 Day18 ndash cvintroengcar
Anonomus
Realy helpful best site there is 3
October 24 2016 at 744 am
A BoardIndividual
The only truly good website for mousetrap cars there is good for science fairprojects 3
December 20 2016 at 650 am
Anonymous
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 339 pm
OMG best website ever thank you lt3
March 28 2017 at 341 pm
minimuinninja
Lyn
Good article
June 8 2017 at 1248 pm
Mico
Hello there Maybe you could help me solve a problem on mousetrap car Do youhave any idea on how to turn the wheel of a mousetrap car The problem is weneed to avoid an obstacle 1 meter away and should get back to the line of distancefrom where my car starts The longest distance the car traveled from the obstacle isthe winner The vehicle must start from behind a start-line and then clear anobstacle as it travels the longest possible distance in the longitudinal directionfrom the start line The device must come to a rest as close as possible to a pointdirectly inline from its start location (ie minimise the transverse distance)
August 21 2017 at 404 am
Bill Kuhl
There was a rubber powered event that had to go around an obstacle but youcould make the steering adjustable to a fixed setting and then curve around theobstacle As far as stopping at a certain point there is a Doc Fizzix car like thatwhich uses a threaded rod and a wingnut One side of the wingnut goes in achannel You adjust where wingnut starts and when it gets to one side it stopsthe car
August 21 2017 at 940 am
Mamcee
-This Is Epic I Got Everything I Needed hellip THANK Yu
September 16 2017 at 1129 am
minimuinninja
Lyn
Good article
June 8 2017 at 1248 pm
Mico
Hello there Maybe you could help me solve a problem on mousetrap car Do youhave any idea on how to turn the wheel of a mousetrap car The problem is weneed to avoid an obstacle 1 meter away and should get back to the line of distancefrom where my car starts The longest distance the car traveled from the obstacle isthe winner The vehicle must start from behind a start-line and then clear anobstacle as it travels the longest possible distance in the longitudinal directionfrom the start line The device must come to a rest as close as possible to a pointdirectly inline from its start location (ie minimise the transverse distance)
August 21 2017 at 404 am
Bill Kuhl
There was a rubber powered event that had to go around an obstacle but youcould make the steering adjustable to a fixed setting and then curve around theobstacle As far as stopping at a certain point there is a Doc Fizzix car like thatwhich uses a threaded rod and a wingnut One side of the wingnut goes in achannel You adjust where wingnut starts and when it gets to one side it stopsthe car
August 21 2017 at 940 am
Mamcee
-This Is Epic I Got Everything I Needed hellip THANK Yu
September 16 2017 at 1129 am