Mousetrap Vehicle Design Seminar. Saturday, October 2, 2010 from 9 AM to 1 PM. Thank you our hosts, H.L. Johnson Elementary School in Royal Palm Beach, FL.
I say "Seminole," You say "Ridge!"
SECME students are challenged to create a "mousetrap car" that can be entered into the annual engineering Olympiad contest. The spring of a mousetrap stores a considerable amount of potential energy when it is pulled back and its tension is increased. When released, this energy is transformed into the kinetic energy of movement, making the mousetrap the perfect "motor" for a homemade car. As the trap closes, the metal bar pulls a string that has been wound around the axle of the mousetrap car. This causes the axle and attached wheels to spin, propelling the car forward. While many aspects of the car's design can change (for example, including a gear transmission) this is the basic method of movement.
Science • Simple machines • Force and motion • Newton’s laws
Engineering • Technological design • Data analysis and prediction • Materials science
Math • Circumference • Ratios • Measurements
MTVs also help students practice cooperative behavior, develop spatial awareness, and learn to budget time.
SECME school coordinator Mr. Erich Landstrom is very proud of the work done by the students. GO HAWKS! Thank you to our hosts H.L. Johnson Elementary School in Royal Palm Beach, FL, SECME district coordinator Mr. Bruce Wear, Mr. Glenn Cunningham, P.E. and the engineers from Hazen and Sawyer.
