Mousetrap Car Physics

Overview

What do you know about Physics?  Newton?  Simple Machines?

How do car’s work?  How do wheels work?

Show NASCAR video clip

Who likes NASCAR or fast cars?  How do you make a car go faster? If you wanted to design a car how would you start?

Discuss how vehicles work in general as simple machines. 

What propels a vehicle? What would propel a moustrap car?

How do wheels and axels work?  Do they have to be used in unison? Why?

Learning Objectives

Students will gain an understanding of how simple machines and Newton’s laws affect each other as well as the design and redesign process based on these factors.

Activity

Students will design basic moustrap cars, then redesign them based on data collected. This is a week long project, based on 1 1/2 hour classes each day (however, it could be done with 1 hour class lengths).

Equipment Needed (per car):

•    6 Balloons

•    1 Mousetrap

•    Fishing line

•    4 CDs

•    2 Ball point pens (Bic preferred)

•    4 Soda Can Tabs

•    4 Screw Eyes (#12)

•    Duct Tape

Optional

•    Wood Slats

•    Balsa Wood

•    Foam board

•    Dowel Rod

Design Activity

Break the students into groups of 2 or 3.  Groups will need a Team Name. 

Pass out supplies to student teams.  Try to have them build the cars without any model or instruction beyond the basics.  Have pre-built a mousetrap car to illustrate certain issues if need be. (See mousetrap car building instructions & powerpoint)

Data Collection & Video Analysis

Have students race their cars against each other, look for distance and time verification.  Keep a Distance & Time Log to track Team progress.

Each team needs to video their car race.  Ensure that the field of vision includes both the stop & start points (VERY important for data analysis).  Use a tripod to keep the camera steady & place a meter stick in the background. Cars should travel from LEFT to RIGHT, based on positive X/Y Coordinate plane.

•    Import Video – Using Flip Camera, drag files from camera and drop on desktop

•    Show Basketball Toss example video

•    Import Video into Vernier Logger Pro: (See Video in Logger Pro)

•    Display Video Analysis Toolbar

•    Set Scale

•    Mark origin of object based on meter stick in background

•    Add point for every 3 frames of video

Data Based Decision Making

What do the graphs tell us?

•    Acceleration (The rate at which velocity changes)

•    Speed (Speed = Distance/Time; ie. How fast?)

•    Distance

•    Time

•    Velocity (ie How Fast? & In what direction?)

Identify changes or oddities in the Velocity Graph.  What was occurring on the video during these changes?  What design changes can you make to your car to improve  Velocity?

Use the Data Analysis Actvity worksheet to track student progress

Redesign Activity

Use the Scientific Method to conduct experiments to improve your car

1.    Recognize a problem

2.    Hypothesis

3.    Predict the consequences of the hypothesis

4.    Perform experiments to test predictions

5.    Conclusion

Final Report

Other Moustrap Resources