When this project was assigned, I knew that it would be difficult to find the time and the effort to make the absolute best mousetrap car that my capabilities would allow, but to my fault, I overestimated how much time I would have to do so.
With tech week for the school musical entirely overlapping with this project, not to mention all of the other homework I had due that week, the amount of free time I had was cut down to-- well, nothing.
But this did not stop me.
I knew there was absolutely no way I could complete all of my homework on time, there was no way. And so, I talked to my teachers to get extensions so I could then focus on this seemingly difficult task of building a mousetrap car.
This entire process was one of trial and error.
I tried several different designs to create the most aerodynamic and functional car that I could. Ultimately, the following design was the most valuable and praiseworthy.
The body of the car is made of cedar wood and wooden dowels. I attached the mousetrap with tongue depressors and electrical tape. The wheels are wooden; the front wheels have rubber bands on them for traction. The lever arm attached to the mousetrap is another dowel to increase the length of the string I could tie to the front axle that would turn the wheels.
When I tested the car for the first time, it went all the way down a hallway in my house that measures about five yards in a matter of 6.4 seconds.
I tested the car a second time with a slightly better time: 6.2 seconds.
Knowing the mousetrap would lose more and more power every time I tested it, I only tested it these two times.
Update: my car failed when it actually counted.
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