Diary Entry #1: Concerns

Dear Diary,

We are very confident in the design and idea for our mousetrap car but at the same time we have concerns about it.

Concern #1:

• We are worried that the materials we plan to use do not help/do not mesh well with the assembly of the car

Concern #2:

• We are worried that the car will not accelerate 

Concern #3:

• We are worried that the car will fall apart when racing

Hopefully, these are concerns that we do not have to worry about. With our hard work and determination, we are sure that our car will come out the way we want it to.

Phase 1: Idea, Blueprint, and Materials

Story/Idea:

After a lot of research, we combined different ideas and added our own personal touch to come up with our final idea. We have decided to build a car from scratch that must accelerate on its own, using a mousetrap as our only source of energy. Our goal is to reduce the car's mass to increase its velocity. We are trying to use the lightest materials as possible to maximize our car's velocity. Some of our materials were found within the classroom, some were brought from home, and some were bought from the store.

Materials: 

• cardboard
• CD's
• rubber bands
• string
• eye hooks
• mousetrap
• wooden dowels

Blueprint:

Pictured here is our own original blueprint of our Mousetrap Car. 

Dynamics of the Blueprint:

• Cardboard body with mousetrap "engine"
• CD wheels (with rubber bands to increase traction)
• Wooden dowel axels
• Eye hooks connected to the base to keep the axels in place
• String attached to lever arm and back axel

When the string is wound on the back axel and the snapper is released the car will accelerate forward.