Engineering University of Florida

GATORTRAX College of Engineering

Mousetrap Cars Module
MOUSETRAP CARS
The concept most central to building mousetrap cars is energy. Energy is defined as
having the ability to do work. Work is motion that results in something being done.
Without energy, the universe would be motionless and without life. We usually observe
energy only when it is happening or when it is being trans-formed.
Energy can be classified in a number of ways. Most commonly energy is classified as
potential and kinetic.
The energy that is stored and held in readiness is called potential energy PE!
because in the stored state it has the potential to do work. or e!ample, a stretched
or compressed spring has the potential for doing work. When a bow is drawn,
energy is stored in the bow. " stretched rubber band has potential energy because
of its position and because in this position it is capable of doing work.
"ineti# energy "E! is energy of motion or the energy a moving ob#ect has. "
baseball thrown through the air has kinetic energy because of its motion #ust as a
moving car has energy because of its speed or motion.
Energy, potential or kinetic, follows one basic rule called the,
$aw of Conservation of Energy% stated& Energy #annot be #reated or destroyed' it
(ay be transfor(ed fro( one for( into another% b)t the total a(o)nt of energy
never #hanges.
$y winding the spring on your mousetrap car, you store energy in the spring as potential
energy. This stored potential energy will turn into kinetic energy as the mouse-trap car
begins to move. %n a perfect universe, your mouse-trap car should roll forever as the
potential energy is changed into kinetic energy. $ut in our universe there is friction and in
order to overcome friction you have to do work. riction converts energy into heat and
sound which removes energy from your motion, causing the vehicle to roll to a stop as its
energy is removed. &our goal in building a good distance car is to produce a vehicle that
loses energy at the lowest possible rate.
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Engineering University of Florida
GATORTRAX College of Engineering
Mousetrap Cars Module
When designing a mousetrap powered car, there are two variables that truly determine the
overall performance' friction and energy.
*ri#tion is what slows and stops your vehicle( energy is what moves your vehicle. %f your
vehicle encounters too much friction, your energy supply will be consumed too )uickly
and your vehicle will not travel very far or accelerate very fast. Evaluate every moving
component on your vehicle and decrease the amount of friction at each point. "s a
general rule of thumb, the more moving components that a machine has, the greater the
force of friction will be and the greater the energy consumption will be. &our ultimate
goal when building a distance mouse-trap powered vehicle is to reduce friction to the
lowest possible force. The smaller the frictional force, the farther your supply of energy
will propel your vehicle. With this idea in mind, slow-moving vehicles will have a
smaller force of air resistance acting against them and will travel farther than faster-
moving vehicles.
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Engineering University of Florida
GATORTRAX College of Engineering
Mousetrap Cars Module
The Mouse Trap Car *MTC! is going to travel a certain amount of distance *d+ in a
specific amount of time *t+. To accomplish this, a lot of things will be taking place.
Energy will have to be applied to generate a for#e, which in turn, will apply itself
directly to the ob#ect causing the ob#ect to move in the direction in which the greater
force is applied.
Energy+ The ability to due work( e!pressed in joules or Newton-meters (n-m). Energy is
classified as the following'
Potential Energy P.E.! , stored energy due to position.
,.E. - weight x height or P.E. - w x h
"ineti# Energy ".E.! , energy of motion. .erived from the /reek word kinein,
Meaning, 0to move.1
2.E. - 345 mass x velocity or speed *s)uared+ or ".E. , ./0(vs1)ared!

The velo#ity of the MTC is the measurement of how fast an ob#ect is moving in a specific
direction.
2elo#ity - distance4 time or d4t
The MTC will begin from a position of rest *Potential Energy! and as the force is
applied the energy in the MTC will change into "ineti# Energy. The importance of
transferring energy from a potential state to a kinesthetic state is that once an ob#ect is
moving it has the capacity to do work *force x distance+. or e!ample, we have been able
to harness the moving energy of water and wind to generate electrical power that is used
by many cities all over the world. The recent 0$lack out1 in 6ew &ork, ,ennsylvania,
7hio, 6ew 8ersey, and Canada happened in energy storage and transfer e)uipment that
handled the energy generated from the 6iagara and 9t. :awrence ;ivers and 6iagara
alls. These rivers and falls generate enough energy to provide service to over <= million
people>
*or#e is the amount of push or pull on an ob#ect( measured in 6ewtons*6+.
*or#e - mass x acceleration or m ! a
"fter the force has been applied to the MTC, it begins to move in a direction *vector+.
"s the force applied to the MTC gets it moving from rest to a ma!imum velocity. This
change in velocity is called a##eleration. "cceleration is the change in velocity per unit
of time.
"cceleration - *final velocity ? initial velocity+ 4 time
7r
A - v *final+ + v *initial+
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Engineering University of Florida
GATORTRAX College of Engineering
Mousetrap Cars Module
T
7nce the ma!imum velocity is reached constant e!ternal forces will eventually cause the
MTC to slow down to a rest position *de#eleration!. .eceleration can be calculated the
same way that we calculate acceleration.
The e!ternal forces that are working against the car are the following'
riction
/ravity
.rag
Wind *if applicable+
%nertia *weight of the vehicle+
Re(e(ber the Ro#ket E3peri(ent.
@ltimately, you are going to have a MTC that travels a certain amount of distance in a
certain amount of time. 9ome cars will travel faster than others, while some will travel
farther than others. There are a lot of e!ternal forces that you will have to overcome in
order to get your MTC to achieve your desired goal. "nalyAing your ob#ective and
understanding the constraints *resources, e!ternal forces, and the dynamics of your
vehicle+ will all come into play when you design your Mouse Trap Car.
4ewton5s $aws of Motion and how they i(pa#t MTC!&
4ewton5s *irst $aw of Motion& Every ob#ect continues in its state of rest or in uniform
motion in a straight line unless it is compelled to change that state by forces acting on it.
6nertia is a fancy word meaning 0resistance to change1. %nertia deals with the
mass that the ob#ect has. %t is the weight plus the force of gravity on a specific ob#ect.
This is why you weigh more on earth than you would on the moon. The gravitational
forces are less on the moon. &our MTC at rest has inertia. &ou most generate enough
force to overcome the inertia of your MTC in order to get the car moving.
4ewton5s Se#ond $aw of Motion& The acceleration of an ob#ect is directly proportional
to the net force acting on the ob#ect *in the direction of the net force+ and inversely
proportional to the mass of the ob#ect.
%n simple terms, mass resists change or acceleration *change in velocity+, and
force causes acceleration. %f you want to triple the acceleration of an ob#ect, you have to
triple the force. %f you cannot increase the force and you still want to accelerate, then you
have to remove mass.
E!ample' Bave you ever watched a show or a movie when someone is in a balloon, ship
or spacecraft and they have to #ettison *get rid of+ e!tra ballast *ob#ects+ in order to go
faster. ;ecently, in the movie 0Master and Commander,1 dealing with rance and
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Engineering University of Florida
GATORTRAX College of Engineering
Mousetrap Cars Module
England competing for control of the 9ea and their empire e!pansion. The rench ship
had recently damaged the $ritish ship and was closing in for the kill. The Commander of
the $ritish vessel instructed his crewmen to throw all non essential e)uipment and
supplies of the ship to lighten the load, which enabled the ship to move faster *accelerate+
and escape the )uickly approaching rench warship.
*or#e - (ass 3 a##eleration
&ou will have to take into account the mass of your MTC and your ability to generate
enough energy to create a great enough force allowing you to achieve ma!imum
acceleration.
4ewton5s Third $aw of Motion& Whenever one ob#ect e!erts a force on a second ob#ect,
the second ob#ect e!erts an e)ual and opposite force on the first.
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Bere is where we look at1 push and pull1. 6ewton recogniAed that a force is actually the
interaction between two ob#ects. or e!ample, if you push against a brick wall, the brick
wall is actually pushing back on you> &ou and the brick wall are an interaction pair, you
apply a force to the wall, and the wall applies a force back. The evidence of this is in your
bent fingers.
&ou sit on a chair and you e!ert a force on the chair since you do not fall, the chair is
e!erting a force against you.
" MTC car is propelled because the drive wheels push on the floor and the floor pushes
back on the car causing the MTC to move or accelerate. " vehicleCs acceleration is
limited by the interaction between the wheels and the floor.
" 0speed car1 or any vehicle that produces a lot of tor)ue, the wheels can only push as
hard as the vehicle can push back. Therefore, if the floor can not push back with the same
force as the wheels push, then the wheels spin in place and the car will not accelerate to
its ma!imum velocity. *Bint' increase traction *friction+ between the two surfaces+.
A final note on 4ewton&
;emember mass is resistant to change. The more massive your vehicle the more energy
and force you will need to start your vehicle moving, compared to smaller and lighter
vehicles.
7n the other hand, if your vehicle is too light, you will not have enough friction to start
your vehicle moving.
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Engineering University of Florida
GATORTRAX College of Engineering
Mousetrap Cars Module
7nly through e!perimentation will you find your target mass. "nd do not forget to
consider the impact of your lever arm.
E2A$UAT6O4
,erformance of the Mousetrap Dehicles will not be evaluated at this time. "lthough the
focus of this /atorT;"E activity is on the concepts of energy and motion, which can be
applied in a wide variety of instances, 9ECME students will find this foundation to be
valuable in the 9ECME Mousetrap Competition.
Two formulas are used to calculate the ,erformance score for the car run'

5

=
L
D
X
W
w
N and
L
N
N
F =
X 100
where'
6....is the score.
To ensure that cars actually perform and not #ust be small and light,
6-= if . is :E99 than F== centimeters *for middle school4#unior high teams+
6-= if . is :E99 than G== centimeters *for high school teams+
w....is the mass of the original mousetrap *always taken as 5< grams+.
67TE' "t all competitions, this standard value will be used in calculating the
,erformance score.

W....is the total mass of the completed car in grams.
.....is distance measured in a straight line from the starting point to the stopping
point in centimeters. .-5,<== if the car travels 5,<== centimeters or more.

:....is the carCs longest dimension in any direction *not necessarily the length+ in
centimeters, measured with the bail e!tended or retracted, whichever is greater.H
6:...is the highest ,erformance score at the competition site
....is the final ,erformance score *to be combined with scores for the .esign
.rawing, Technical ;eport, and Team %nterview+.
7verall Team 9core in competition is sum of'
3+ ,erformance *car run+ as calculated above *ma!. 3== points+(
5+ .esign .rawing *ma!. <= points+(
F+ Technical ;eport *ma!. <= points+( and
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Engineering University of Florida
GATORTRAX College of Engineering
Mousetrap Cars Module
I+ Team %nterview *ma!. <= points+. Th)s the (a3i()( total is 078 points.
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Engineering University of Florida
GATORTRAX College of Engineering
Mousetrap Cars Module
Mouse Trap Math
$asic Math'
.iameter *.+ - 5 ! ;
Circumference *C+ - Jd
;adius *;+- K d
%n mousetrap terms'
;adius - length of bail
7r - length from center of wheel to rim
7ne wheel turn - circumference
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Wheels
9pring
$ail
Mousetrap wood
Engineering University of Florida
GATORTRAX College of Engineering
Mousetrap Cars Module
%nitial ;otation
The changes in distance of the bail from initial point " $.
igure 3
Thus, distance change of a string from point " $ is simply the diameter of the circle
shown.
ind the length the string is pulled if the bail is'
"+ 5 in. LLLLLLLLLL
$+ I.5 cm LLLLLLLLLL
C+ F.33 mm LLLLLLLLLL
.+ <.5 cm LLLLLLLLLL
Bow does the length of the bail affect the distance a mousetrap car runsM
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"
$
;
,ath of $ail
Engineering University of Florida
GATORTRAX College of Engineering
Mousetrap Cars Module
Bow far will the Mousetrap goM
What is the change of bail distance from " $M LLLLLLLLLL *5 ! ;+
What is the diameter of the a!le connected to stringM LLLLLLLLLL *d3+
What is the diameter of the wheel connected to the a!leM LLLLLLLLLL *d5+
The appro!imate distance *M+ the mousetrap will go is found using the following
e)uation'
M-*d54d3+ ! 5 ! ;
Calculate your M with the materials given.
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Engineering University of Florida
GATORTRAX College of Engineering
Mousetrap Cars Module
"mplifying Mousetrap distance
igure 5
/ears allow for either an increase of decrease in the amount of rotations onto another
gear. The rate *speed+ at which gears rotate is given as angular rotation *N+.
To determine the amplification we use a ratio as shown
Circumference3 ! N3 ' Circumference5 ! N5
J.3N3 ' J.5N5
/ears have the same rotation, therefore N3 - N5
5J;3N3 ' 5J;5N5
;3 ' ;5 or .3 ' .5
ind the ratios of the following gears if'
;3 - 3= mm ;5 - <mm ;atio LLLLL'LLLLL
;3 - .F in ;5 - .3 in ;atio LLLLL'LLLLL
;3 - O< mm ;5 - < mm ;atio LLLLL'LLLLL
;3 - 35 mm ;5 - 5 mm ;atio LLLLL'LLLLL
;3 - F ft ;5 - G in ;atio LLLLL'LLLLL
;3 - 3.35 in ;5 - .=P in ;atio LLLLL'LLLLL
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;5
;3
Engineering University of Florida
GATORTRAX College of Engineering
Mousetrap Cars Module
Transferring the velocity of gears
There is one simple rule( the rotation of one gear is proportional to the ratio of gear siAe
of one gear to another.
igure F
:etCs look at the piece-by-piece portions of a gear.
%f the driving force is connected to the smaller radius and is connected to the same
shaft4a!el to a larger radius gear4wheel, the rotation distance is amplified.
%f the driving force is transferred from the bigger wheel to the smaller wheel, then the
rotational distances are e)ual.
C -5J;big - 5J;small
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;otation 3 *N3+ ;otation 5 *N5+
;3
;5
;F
;I
Connection to bail
Engineering University of Florida
GATORTRAX College of Engineering
Mousetrap Cars Module
%/@;E F.3
:3 ! *;5 4 ;3+ E *;I 4 ;F+ E *;w 4 ;end+
3 5 F I < G
rom the figure above, the mousetrap starts and rotates the length of the movement of the
mousetrap bail :3.
9o the change in distance of the bail is e)ual to the movement of ;3.
;3 is amplified to ;5
The distance ;5 moves e)uals the distance of ;F
The distance of ;F is amplified to ;I
The distance ;I moves e)uals to the distance of ;<
;< is amplified to the radius of the wheels.
%f you use the following values, what is the final distanceM
:ength of bail is I in.
;3 - .3 in, ;5 - .<in, ;F - .5 in, ;I - .Gin, ;< - .3 in
wheel radius - 5 in
inal .istanceM
Bint' ind the change of bail distance first and work your way through.
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