Q&A for How to Adapt a Mousetrap Car for Distance

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What sort of string should I use in a mousetrap car?

Community Answer

You should use something that has good grip and little friction. For example, yarn isn't a good choice because it is prone to getting caught and has lots of friction. Strong fishing line or even dental floss would be better choices. Both are smooth and thin, but also strong enough to turn the wheels without snapping.

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Question

If I need to make it go as far as possible shouldn't I reduce friction?

Community Answer

Yes, but some friction is nessecary to make the car go forward in stead of skidding in place.

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Question

Would a car travel further with big or little wheels?

Community Answer

The car would travel further with bigger wheels and faster with smaller ones.

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Question

Should my car have a fat body or a skinny body?

Griffin Brown

Community Answer

A skinny one, to reduce air friction. But not too skinny, or the mouse trap may break your car when it goes off.

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Question

Should my car have a long or short body?

Community Answer

A long body is best because it gives some weight to your car and it will move further and faster.

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Question

What should the length and height of the body be?

Community Answer

You want the body to be long and narrow. Don't have it be tall because of aerodynamics.

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Question

Do I need to have a special wheel thickness?

Community Answer

It is based on what you think works best. Thin wheels increase longer distance, while others increase traction.

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Question

Should I make my car heavier or lighter to make it go further?

Community Answer

It should be as light as possible without being too fragile. Disks work great as wheels, but are thin and could break if you have too much force. A wood frame works the same way: it's light, which is good, but it could break if it's too thin.

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Question

Should I use three or four wheels? Also, I'm using a couple old CDs for the back wheels, would it matter if I used the same thing for the front wheel/wheels?

Community Answer

It's probably best to use 4 wheels. The CDs are a good choice for both sets of wheels.

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Question

How do I make a mousetrap car go?

Community Answer

The arm should have a string attached to it, with the other end of the string wrapped around the back axle (which will spin the axle when the arm snaps forward).

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Question

Does painting the wheels impact anything?

Community Answer

Yes, it can slow down the wheels when they are driving.

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Question

When in a mousetrap car race, is distance better or is speed better?

Demonic Thief

Community Answer

Distance is better for a race. Speed is good, but if the others are faster than you, they will travel a short distance. Yours may be slower, but it will move farther than the others.

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Question

Should I have a thick or thin lever?

Community Answer

If you want lower air resistance, go with thin (although the air resistance won't be affected too much unless the lever is massive).

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Question

What are the best things to do to make my car go further?

Community Answer

If you want for your car to go further, you should use larger wheels.

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Question

What are all the measurements for the car?

Demonic Thief

Community Answer

The measurements can be what you want them to be. Just be sure to only make the lever arm so long that it touches the axle, to get the car moving.

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Question

How does a mousetrap car work?

Community Answer

When the mousetrap is set off (assuming you built it and set the mousetrap up) the string attached to the dangerous part of the trap will fly forward, spinning the rear axle which leads to the car to start moving.

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Question

How do I add balloons for increased traction?

Community Answer

Cut some part of the balloon to make a ring and then stretch it around the outside of the CD.

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Question

How long do you make the fishing line?

Community Answer

About 2 inches longer than the distance from the top of your lever to the axle. If for speed do 2, if for distance do 3.

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Question

How do I make the axles spin around?

Community Answer

Add a lever to the mouse trap, then add string to the lever, then tie it on the axle.

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Question

How can I adapt the wheels to keep spinning when the trap is out?

Community Answer

Your best bet is to get a longer string.

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Question

Does the chassis need to be heavy?

Community Answer

It depends on your preference. When the chassis is heavy, it will decrease the speed of the car, and a light chassis will increase the speed.

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Question

How do I make a car that can keep running even after the lever arms string is out?

Community Answer

If you can make the car accelerate fast and stay a constant speed with a light frame, your car will continue to roll.

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Question

How do I make it go a certain distance, say 10 feet?

Community Answer

Gradually remove string from the axle until you reliably get the distance you'd like.

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Question

How do I make the CD wheels in the front smaller?

Community Answer

Try to find mini-discs -- these are smaller and cheaper than compact discs. They might be hard to find though.

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Question

How do I get the car to go in a straight line?

Community Answer

You will need to make sure that the wheels are straight and as perfectly aligned as possible.

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Question

Do I have to buy a special mouse trap that has an arm?

Community Answer

You do not need to buy a special mouse trap. You can simply use a wooden rod to attach to part of the spring with zip ties and a hot glue gun.

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Question

What size does the wood need to be?

Community Answer

The wood should be fairly thin.

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Question

Is hot glue good to use when building the frame of the car?

FOPG

Community Answer

Yes but not too much with the axel, because it needs to stay in place and move at the same time.

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Question

How long should the string be for the longest distance?

Community Answer

Just long enough to touch the front axle if string is at the back. This will maximize power and the pull. Also add a rubber piece to the axle to slow down slippage

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Question

For the CD's, are there small and big ones? Or are they all the same size?

Community Answer

The are all the same size.

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