Design 3 (Mousetrap Car): Pros and Cons

Mousetrap Car: Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Fishing line is study and durable to hold the hanger up.
• The mousetrap's spring has potential energy.
• As the mousetrap's arm moves it has kinetic energy.
• The mousetrap is a strong source of energy.
• The wheels (Cd's) will allow the car to go in a straight path.
• The paint sticks (base) are sturdy.

Cons:

• A lot of materials are needed.
• The building process takes a long time
• Hanger can break easily
• The mousetrap, paint sticks, hanger, and fishing line are hard to adjust.

 

Design 2 (Rubber Band Car)- Pros and Cons

Rubber Band Car- Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Styrofoam is lightweight.
• Rubber band has a lot of potential energy
• The nails are sturdy so the vehicle will stay in place.
• The ridges in the bottle caps will create friction.

Cons:

• The ridges could cause the vehicle to not move in a straight line.
• The Styrofoam can easily brake.
• The rubber band could snap which was the main force behind the car.

Design 1 (Balloon Car)- Pros and Cons

Balloon Car- Pros and Cons

Pros-

• Straw lets air out from the balloon which will cause the car to go in a straight path.
• Household materials were used to make the vehicle.
• Easy to make and put together.
• Balloon has kinetic and potential energy

Cons-

• The thread rolls may cause the vehicle to roll unevenly.
• Straw has to fit perfectly for the balloon
• The thread rolls may not allow the vehicle to go in a forward path.
• The main force (balloon size, placement, amount of air needed) may not work.

Newton's Laws of Motion

Newton's 1st Law of Motion
An object at rest will remain at rest unless acted on by an unbalanced force. An object in motion continues in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

Newton's 2nd Law of Motion
Acceleration is produced when a force acts on a mass. The greater the mass (of the object being accelerated) the greater the amount of force needed (to accelerate the object).

Newton's 3rd Law of Motion
For every action there is an equal and opposite re-action.

Design 3: Mousetrap Car

Design 3: Mousetrap Car

Materials:

• Mousetrap
• Paint Sticks
• Pens
• Cd's
• Fishing line
• Hanger
• Glue

The main force for this experiment is the Mousetrap. The paint sticks will be used as the base of the car.

Brief Procedure:

1. Attach the overlapping paint sticks to the wheels and axles which were made out of the Cd's and pens.
2. Place the mouse trap on the paint sticks (base).
3. Take the hanger and attach it to the mouse trap.
4. Attach the fishing line to the hanger and pull it back toward the axle.
5. Wind the fishing line around the axle and release it. This will cause the car to accelerate forward.

Design 2: Rubber Band Car

Design 2: Rubber Band Car

Materials-

• Balloon
• Styrofoam
• Bottle Caps
• Nails
• Rubber Bands
• Scissors
• Glue

For this design our main force is rubber bands, rather than balloons. The structure that will be used to hold up the car is styrofoam because it is less in weight compared to wood or cardboard. To make the wheels and axels, bottle caps and nails will be used.

Procedure-

1. Take the bottle caps and attach one to each side of the nail. This makes the wheels and the axel
2. Glue one set of this to the front of the styrofoam and one set to the back of the styrofoam.
3. Cut a rubber band so it becomes a one long piece.
4. Attach it between the two nails.
5. Take the side that has the rubber band attached to it and wind it again and again.
6. This should make the vehicle accelerate in a forward direction.

Design 1: Balloon Car

Design 1: Balloon Car

Materials-

• Balloon
• Wheels (thread rolls)
• Axles
• Soda Bottle
• Pencils
• Straw

Procedure-

• To start our design we will first make the wheels and axles by taking the thread rolls and attaching it to the pencils.
• The wheels must remain sturdy; therefore, putting tape on the sides of the wheels is a must.
• Take the side of the soda bottle and push the pencils through. Make sure to glue it on each side.
• Attach the wheels that were made by the thread rolls.
• Take a straw and place it in the mouth of the balloon.  This will allow the balloon to release the air which will make the car go straight.
• Add the blown balloon to the top of the car.
• Once the balloon is released the air will exert an equal and opposite force that will cause the car to excel in a forward direction which is Newton's 3rd Law of Motion.