Innovators/8 Build a better mouse trap...car?!!!

Mousetrap cars represent marvelous contraptions that can be constructed with things you can find in any home.  All you need is a basic understanding of Physics and just use the tools that you have.
The great thing about the mousetrap car is that it has its own propulsion source.  The energy is stored and then released using a spring.  The snapper converts the kinetic energy and moves the wheels.  This will trigger a chain reaction in the device.  The energy is transformed and the car will move.  You do not need electricity or any kind of fuel to move this car.  You will be amazed to see what this little car can do.



Students will design and construct a variety of different mousetrap vehicles that can compete in one of three STEM competitions.  Challenge one consists of designing and constructing a mousetrap car that will travel a distance of 5 meters in the fastest time.

Use the engineering process, your team will design build test, evaluate and retest your vehicle  to determine the best design and performance to meet the challenge.

For a great resource, type into Google search "mousetrap mesa" and click on the first link. It will download a .pdf file that you can view.


Timeline for Mousetrap Car Challenge:
Tuesday:

• research/brainstorm
• model designs but do not build anything yet
• begin sketching blueprints for ideas (record reasoning!)

Wednesday:

• continue researching and sketching
• decide on a design
• begin building

Thursday:

• finish building
• begin testing
• make modifications as needed

Friday: COMPETITION DAY!