Seminole Ridge SECME: (l to r) Edwin Keo, Ryan Hamilton, and Yiro Shimabukuro
Seminole SECME meeting minutes for September 29, 2010
Meeting called to order at 3 PM by Captain R. Hamilton.
Reminders
- MTV Design Seminar. This Saturday, October 2, 2010 starting at 9 AM, will be a Mousetrap Vehicle design seminar at H.L. Johnson Elementary, 1000 Crestwood Blvd. N., Royal Palm Beach, FL.
- Belen VEX Round Up qualifier. Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in Miami is hosting a VEX Round Up competition on Saturday, October 23, 2010, starting at 7 AM.
- Blood Drive. "Give Blood, It's Not Rocket Science" blood drive with NHS on Uesday, November 16, 2010 (even day). We will be launching water bottle rockets.
- US DOE National Science Bowl. NSB regional qualifier at Florida International University is Saturday, February 19, 2011. This is the weekend before SECME Olympiad in Palm Beach County.
- $15 dues are due! Dues cover the costs of t-shirts and materials for projects
- permission slips for Saturday SECME design seminars field trips are due, signed by your parent/guardian next week.
Old Business
- BBowl: practice with questions from US DOE NSB Round 04
- BWB: finish popsicle stick bridges.
Popsicle Stick Bridge: Martin and Justin
Popsicle Stick Bridge: Daniel Inglesias
Popsicle Stick Bridge: Brie Codner
Popsicle Stick Bridge
New Business
The Little Moe kit from Doc Fizzix is designed for students who have limited access to tools or are new to building mousetrap vehicles, and it requires only glue for construction. Little Moe creates one of the fastest mousetrap cars and travels distances from 15 to 30 meters (49 to 98 feet). Little Moe can be built in less than 30 minutes for most first-time builders. The kit is predrilled and ready to assemble and includes the following materials:
Two Pre-Drilled Balsa Wood Side Rails (8" x 1/2" x 1/4")
Two Brass Tubing Axles (6 x 3/16")
One Brass Tubing Lever Arm (6 x 1/8")
Four DVD Wheels
Eight Rubber DVD/CD Spacers
Four Metal Thrush Washers
One Victor Mousetrap
One Zip Lock Axle Hook
One 36" long piece of Kevlar String
One Top Secret Construction Guide and Performance Tips Sheet
REQUIRES: CA Glue and Needle Nose Pliers
SPECS: Length: 13" (330mm), Width: 6" (152mm)
Little Moe MTV
Little Moe MTV: Yiro Shimabukoro
Little Moe MTV: Ryan Hamilton
What is a mousetrap powered car and how does it work? A mousetrap-powered racer is a vehicle that is powered by the energy of a set mousetrap's spring. The most basic design is as follows: One end of a string is tied to the tip of a lever arm that is attached to the mousetrap's "snapper arm". The other end of the string has a loop that is designed to catch a hook attached to a drive axle. Once the loop is placed over the axle hook, the string is wound around the drive axle by turning the wheels in the opposite direction to the vehicle's intended motion. As the string is wound around the axle, the snapper's lever arm is pulled closer to the drive axle causing the mousetrap's spring to wind up & store energy. When the drive wheels are released, the string is pulled off the drive axle by the mousetrap causing the wheels to rotate.
