MOUSE TRAP CARS Name:________________________________

Due Date:_____________________

INTRO: Through these units, we’ve been learning about Newton and his
laws of motion. Each law of motion, while distinct,
involves forces and its subsequent effect on
motion. In this lab, we will be constructing a “car”
that is powered simply by the force exerted by
the mousetrap spring. Mousetraps usually store one joule of energy
(which is lethal to a mouse).
This next unit, we will learn about energy, its conservation, and how
potential energy can be turned into kinetic energy.
In this project, everyone will start with a mousetrap (NOT a rat trap) and will only be allowed the
use of one trap for their car’s construction. This is a very INQUIRY based experiment (i.e.-you will
have to think and research for this one!!) GOOD LUCK!

PURPOSE: How will we build cars that are powered from the stored energy in a mousetrap’s spring
that can travel long distances (at least 5m) in a short amount of time and/or be creative in design?
PRELAB QUESTIONS:
1. Brainstorming (get approval before moving on to the next question)
Parts of Car Possible Materials Effect on Motion
Body

Wheels

Axles

Lever Arm

String

Other/Miscellaneous

Teacher’s OK _____________________
 2. Detailed sketch of proposed design (get initials before moving forward):
It is important to have an idea of what your car will look like and how it will operate BEFORE you
start building it. You may have to modify the design slightly as you work out the “quirks”, but you
have to have a starting point.

Teacher’s OK:____________

3. Shopping list:
Your shopping list does not need to be long, nor does it need to cost a lot to build a great mousetrap
car! You can probably find most items at home in an old toy bin. What you can’t find, you should be
able to purchase from most home hardware stores inexpensively.
Lab Partner/s Needed Material Store to Buy Approximate Cost
From/Bring from
Home
Your Teacher Mouse Trap XXXX $0.00

NOTE: You may not buy/use a mousetrap car kit!!! Cars designed from prepackaged kits will be
disqualified from the lab MATERIALS ARE DUE BY ______

Teacher’s OK:____________
DATA:
Table 1: Calculating Speed of Mousetrap Car
Trial # Distance (m) Time (s) Average Speed Acceleration
(m/s) (m/s2)
1
2
3
Average

***Careful…don’t forget when calculating acceleration up above, you need vf and vo, not vavg!!!

Table 2: Possible Bonus Points (Bonus CANNOT exceed 15 points per group)
Longest Distance Fastest Speed Most Creative Grand Total
(m) (m/s)
Extra Credit /5 /5 /5 /15
Possible

HELPFUL RESOURCES:
Docfizzix: (Remember don’t buy the kits!!)
http://www.docfizzix.com/

If you are having specific trouble with your car, Doc Fizzix can help you fix it!
http://www.docfizzix.com/help.htm

A link to Lots of Other Mousetrap Car Links!

http://www.hypography.com/topics/mousetrapcar.cfm

Mousetrap Cars
http://cpphysics.homestead.com/mousetrap.html

Mousetrap Cars Planner – includes pictures

http://www.mousetrap-cars.com/project-plans.htm

Construction Tips
http://www.mousetrap-cars.com/construction_tips.htm
(there is an underscore between “construction” and “tips”)

PBS Mousetrap Car

http://www.pbs.org/saf/1208/teaching/teaching.htm
ANALYSIS QUESTIONS
NEWTON’S 1ST LAW
1. Describe why Newton’s First law is also called the Law of Inertia.

2. What property of matter is related to inertia? How could this information be applied to the
selection of materials for your mousetrap car? Explain.

3. Draw a force diagram for your car before you let it go.

4. What type of motion is the car in at this phase? As a result, what would the net force be?
Explain how you know this.

5. Draw a force diagram for your car right after you let it go (when the string is still pulling
the back axle).

6. What type of motion is the car in at this phase? As a result, what would the net force be?
Explain how you know this.

7. Would having a longer string and lever arm be beneficial or harmful to the motion of your
car? Why? (HINT: What force(s) would be present while the string is pulling??)
 8. Draw a force diagram for your car after the string has been pulled all the way around the
axle (i.e.-the string has become detached).

9. What type of motion is the car in at this phase? As a result, what would the net force be?
Explain how you know this.

10. How do the forces on the mousetrap car compare while the car is speeding up to when the
car was first released? (Pick One)
a) The forward force on the car is greater than friction.
b) The downward force on the car is balanced by the forward force.
c) The force from the mousetrap is balanced by the friction on the car.
d) The force of gravity is greater than the force up from the floor on the car.

11. Summarize your findings of this lab in relation to Newton’s 1st law. Do you think this lab
helped reinforce the concept of Newton’s 1st law or no? Why?

NEWTON’S 2nd LAW

12. What is the definition of acceleration?

13. How does Newton’s 2nd law relate the acceleration, mass, and force of an object (write it
out in words)? Then, also write the equation below.
 14. Using a spring scale, determine the amount of force, in Newtons, the spring is providing for
the car at each level of incline for the lever arm.
Angle Force (N)
(degrees)
45
90
135
Average

15. What is the mass of your car in grams? Convert this number to kilograms.

16. Calculate the average acceleration of your car using Newton’s 2nd Law (**NOTE: Use the
average force (N) from #14):

17. Compare your calculated acceleration (#16) to that found in your data table (just use the
average). What is the % difference?

18. What force(s) caused the mousetrap car to eventually come to a stop?

Newton’s 3rd Law

19. State Newton’s 3rd law below.

20. What was the action force that was being applied to the back axle of your mousetrap cars?

21. What was the subsequent reaction force?

 22. What do you know about the reaction force compared to the action force?

23. Do the action and reaction forces act upon the same object? How do you know?

24. Draw a force diagram of these action-reaction forces below.

25. Explain what would happen to the motion of your mousetrap car if you had wound the string
around the back axle of the car forwards instead of backwards. Make sure you use Newton’s
3rd law to quantify and qualify your response.

Energy
26. Define Potential Energy (not just a formula)

27. Define Kinetic Energy (not just a formula)

28. When is Energy Conserved?

29. Describe, in detail (paragraph form), how in this lab energy was conserved, from the moment
you sprung the mousetrap to the moment the car stopped.

30. Conclusion (What did you learn from this project? Use scientific concepts/vocabulary that
we have been learning about during our physics unit. How would you change or improve your
car if you had one more time trial? Be specific. Did you change your car throughout the
project to make it better? If you did, how did you change it and how/why did that improve
its performance?)
Mouse Trap Car Project RUBRIC

Date: ____________ Car Name:_______________________

Students:__________________________________ Per:______

I. MOUSETRAP CAR CONSTRUCTION AND DESIGN (25 points possible)

25 points: Excellent application of design, construction and assembly.
20 points: Very good construction and assembly and very good attention to detail.
15 points: Good construction and assembly and some attention to detail.
10 points: Fair construction and assembly. Minimal attention to detail.
5 point: Last minute project. No attention to detail.
0 points: Car is not homemade i.e. purchased kit was used: car is disqualified from race.

II. Lab Questions (20 points possible)

20 points: All lab questions are answered in a complete manner
15 points: All questions are answered but some are lacking in quality.
10 points: Half of the questions are answered.
5 points: Most questions are not answered.
0 points: Questions are skipped completely.

III. MOUSETRAP CAR PERFORMANCE (25 points possible)

25 points: Final displacement is 5 m or greater
15 points: Final displacement is 3-5 m
0 points: Final displacement is less than 3 m

IV. MOUSETRAP CAR Lab Report (30 pts possible)

20-25 points: Full lab report is written. This includes Introduction, Procedure, Data and
Questions (Questions and Data Charts in this packet), and Conclusion. Lab report must include
scientific terms related to motion, Newton’s Laws, and energy.
0-20 points: Lab report is missing crucial information and sections.

V. Extra Credit (See Table 2) ________________________

Total ___________ / 100