What is the lever arm on a mousetrap car?

Changing the length of a mouse trap’s snapper (or lever arm) is how you control a mousetrap vehicle’s acceleration and/or travel distance. Different lengths of lever arms can be used to increase and/or decrease the pulling force and change the amount of string that can be pulled off the drive axle.

What are the parts of a mousetrap car?

The six simple machines are: the inclined plane, the wedge, the screw, the lever, the wheel and axle, and the pulley. Understanding the principles of these simple machines will help you design your mousetrap vehicle.

How long is a mouse trap arm?

For maximum speed, position the mousetrap 2 1/4 inches from the drive axle and cut the lever arm to a length of 4 1/4 inches. The lever arm can be cut using a dremel tool or by using a fine tooth hobby saw. The lever arm should always be “just” long enough to reach the drive axle or performance will be compromised.

What is an axle hook?

An important part of a mousetrap vehicles propulsion system is the axle hook. If the string does not properly release from the drive axle the string will rewind around the drive axle and cause the mousetrap car to come to an instant stop.

How can you maximize the torque in your mousetrap car?

The gearing of a mousetrap car determines the acceleration and the travel distance….Increase the torque by any of the following:

1. shorten the length of the lever arm.
2. using a smaller diameter drive wheels, or.
3. increase the diameter of the drive axle.

What type of lever is a mousetrap car?

second-class lever
When you set the mousetrap, you are using a second-class lever. The load is the arm of the spring that is being pushed down to compress the spring. The effort force is your fingers on the end of the snapper arm, and the fulcrum is the pivot point in the middle of the trap.

What class lever is a mousetrap car?

What class of lever is a mouse trap car?

mouse trap: a mouse trap is an example of a third class lever. The diameters of a drive wheel and the diameter of a drive axle represent the gearing and act as a transmission. A transmission is any device that transmits mechanical energy from one place to another.

What do levers have to do with mouse trap cars?

Mousetrap cars are powered by the spring of the mousetrap. When the mousetrap snaps back, the lever causes a release of energy . The lever is attached to a string that is wound around the back axle of the car. Therefore, when the lever snaps with the mousetrap, the string unwinds, which spins the axle and makes the car move .

What is the pulley system for a mousetrap car?

Jones Pulley System: Developed by one of the finest minds in the mousetrap vehicle world, the Jones Pulley System is a new and revolutionary way to harness the energy of a mouse trap spring and increase the output torque. The Jones Pulley Dragster does not use a lever arm but instead uses a pulley attached to the mouse trap’s spring that is designed to maximize the winding of a mouse trap’s spring by more then the traditional 180 degrees.

What is the axle of a mousetrap car?

Axle – shaft is attached to the wheels though the hubs it should be straight as possible or the wheels will wobble. In the mousetrap car one axle acts like a pulley as the string is wrapped around it. The diameter of axle in relation to the diameter of the driving wheels is the mechanical advantage.