Mousetrap Car

A toy company wants a vehicle powered by a single mousetrap — no batteries, no motor, no second push. One release of the spring, and it has to travel as far as you can make it go.

The target

One hook, one number. Everything you decide gets judged against how far the car travels on a single release of the spring.

What you hand in

• The car. Working, and within every constraint on the brief.
• Research. Curated sources with notes on what each one is for. See what to research.
• Sketches. Hand drawn, multiple ideas, labeled, more than one view. They must answer the six design questions.
• A formal design representation. An Onshape model, a dimensioned technical drawing, or a scaled hand sketch with real measurements. For this project: Onshape, with parts in part studios and the car assembled with correct mates, shared to the Onshape classroom.
• Build documentation. Photos of the build in progress, not just the finished car.
• Test data. At least three trials, plus your iteration log — what you changed, why, and what happened.
• Presentation. Your team presents to the client. Every student answers a question individually.

Test it before you build it

The Simulation runs your design before you cut anything. Set the wheel sizes, axle size, lever arm length and where the trap sits, plus a few measurements like friction and mass. It shows how far the car rolls, where the spring's energy goes, and what's holding it back. Calibrate it with your first real run, then use it to predict each change before you test it.

Dates