INTRODUCTION:
The mousetrap car shows how energy can be transferred from one location to another. In this activity, you will design and build a mousetrap-powered car with specific guidelines according to ONE OF TWO competitions: Speed or Distance. You will also submit a Lab Write up which will be a typed paper along with an Engineering Design Process report (EDP).
This project is designed to give you the opportunity to tie together major Science topics: Motion, Forces, Newton’s Laws, Energy Transformation, and Simple Machines. Be sure to consider these principles when designing and building your mousetrap-powered car. In your lab write-up, you will be asked to explain how these factors influenced your design. You will also have to complete a data worksheet when you are testing your car.
Before you begin, read the guidelines and deadlines carefully and think about what type of car you would like to build. The first attempt at designing the car will probably not be the one you end up building. Allow yourself plenty of time to design and begin building the car. The deadlines will be set, we are now in a time where urgency is a push for success.
I encourage each of you to strive for excellence! Do not be discouraged if you need to make several modifications to your original design. The continuous process of refining a design is what science and engineering are all about! Following the EDP is key to your success! The more detail you add to your EDP report, the better your project!