Mousetrap Design and Development - Coursework Example

Mousetrap Design and Development (Name of the student) (Name of the Institution) (Date of submission) A mousetrap powered elevator is normally powered by the energy which is wounded-up on a mousetrap spring. One of the problems with this kind of mousetrap is that it turns the potential energy from the wounded mousetrap spring to kinetic energy hence its starts motion. It can be described as a simple machine due to the fact that it uses a simple mechanical advantage to increase force. It acts as a third class lever having a spring as its fulcrum and its hammer as the load. This can be illustrated below The elementary design of the powered mousetrap is one where one side is tied to a string on the tip of the mousetrap snapper and the other end of the string has a loop that is developed to hold a hook which is firmly glued to the axle drive. In designing the mousetrap the loop is placed over the axle hook and wounded around the axle by turning the wheels of the vehicle in the opposite direction of the intended vehicle motion. The lever arm is pulled closer to the drive as the string is wounded around the axle by the turning wheels. This has the ability to help the mousetrap’s spring to wind up and store the required energy. The string is pulled off the axle drive when the driver wheels are released and this caused the wheels of the mousetrap to rotate. The spring helps in propelling the hammer which results into energy release, the hammer then connect to the axle through the connected string which is wounded on the drive. The car is made to roll through the unwinding of the string in the hammer snaps. This can be captured in the diagram below; Requirements for construction Mousetrap: this is the main product which is being designed. Used recycled materials whenever possible as it will reduces the cost of construction and allow testing several times until desired outcome is reached. Wheels: metal lids, CDs, wheels from the old toys other disk shaped object will help in giving the desired performance in terms of speed. Pull Cord: string, rubber bands or fishing line which is used as string and wounded on the axle. Chassis: wood scraps, balsa wood, ice cream sticks, stiff wire, this will be the main body where wheels, axle among other parts are being mounted. Axles: wooden dowels, metal tubes (copper or brass), axles from old toys. And lastly, Glue: strong enough to withstand force of mousetrap others are tools: pliers, screwdrivers, hammers, handsaw and drills. Some of the limitations concerning the problem for the design include the problem of the materials which are used in making the device. In building the mousetrap, the only source of power should be spring of the trap. We have not used any other source of power during the design like rubber band, CO2 boosters or any other element. In the designing and construction of the car, the original mousetrap spring and wood base must always be intact. The two components should not be altered in anyway be it physical, chemical or thermal. Locking lever and bait holder may be if desired be removed. The bail me be straightened but not cut or shortened, added onto or reinforced by any means. It must remain as part and parcel of completed car. The spring must be visible and accessible to the judge for inspection. The minimum wheels for the car should be three, and they should be as short as possible. The testing of the car should be in a flat surface. The distance is measured from the starting to the farthest point of travel, utilizing a straight line to connect the two points. Concept used in the mousetrap design. In building a mousetrap, there are some crucial scientific concepts which should be well explained. They include; Kinetic energy Potential energy Force Friction Torque Power Kinetic Energy: This is the energy which is possessed by a moving body. Potential Energy: this is an energy which is possessed by stored object. Potential energy is converted to kinetic energy immediately the mousetrap begins to move. Force: this is an action which causes a mass to accelerate; it changes the direction of a moving object and increases speed of the object. Friction force: this is the force which opposes the motion of an object which is in contact Torque this is a rotational force, angular force that helps in causing changes in rotational motion Power: this is the rate at which work us done and energy consumed. PART II: FORCE One of the forces is the friction force: this can be defined as the confrontation of motion between two or more objects. In most cases, friction between the materials in the trolley reduces the amount of energy that is used to move the trolley or car; therefore, it is important to reduce the amount of friction. Nevertheless, it is the friction between the wheels and the floor that assist the car to move. Air resistance is another source of friction on a moving car. Air resistance always acts against the car motion and therefore should be reduced to increase performance. The first law of Newton is called law of inertia, further explains the actions of inertia. Inertia can be described as the object tendency to resist change whenever force is applied on an object. The more massive an object is the larger the inertia and therefore the harder it is to change its motion. The second law of Newton is commonly given by the equation F = ma. Both of these two equation shows that the more massive the car is, the more force that will be needed to move the car. The two laws of Newton’s are very important in designing the mousetrap and should be in mind always. The last action of friction is what is called rotation inertia. In the same way like inertia deals with an object tendency to resist change of its linear motion, rotational inertia is an objects’ tendency to change its rotational motion. Its drawing is at follows. Full view The rotational inertia of the object depends on its mass and the distribution of the mass in the body of the object. Since the wheels of your car are the parts that are rotating, one may want to reduce or increase their rotational inertia. Friction is what slow down or stops the movement in case of car mousetrap it stops the vehicle while the energy is what moves the vehicle. In circumstances where a vehicle encounters too much friction, the energy supply will get exhausted faster than expected and the vehicle will not be able to travel for a long distance and in some circumstance accelerate very fast. The wheels must be in contact with the surface that is why the surface must be smooth to help in reducing the friction. The second force is the torque Torque this is a rotational force, angular force that helps in causing changes in rotational motion. This can be captured in the sketch below In the mousetrap car, the snapper arm helps in applying a force that helps drive through pulling the string as shown in the above figure. As a result, torque force is produced around the axle. The two forces determine the energy which needs to be produced to ensure efficient performance of the mousetrap. The mousetrap is one of the ways of showing how the energy can be transmitted from one location to another to accomplish some specifically designed objective. The efficiency of the mousetrap is dependent on the two concepts. Read More