I teamed up with Joshua and Joel on a science project called “Mousetrap Car” to explore physics beyond the classroom. A mousetrap car is simply a car that is powered by a mousetrap. It might sound easy, but it is actually quite complicated. Other than the knowledge we learned in physics class, we also needed to do extensive research.
Basically, we watched tons of YouTube videos! We were only provided with the mousetrap, so we had to be resourceful to figure out all other items ourselves. We would face so many challenges in this project...
Captions: Mark I & Mark II
First, we brainstormed how to best design the car. As distance was the key factor, we decided to leverage on “Mechanical Advantage” by making the last wheel really big. We called it “Mark I”. The idea seemed perfect, but the end product was a huge disappointment. It hardly moved at all. We kept modifying the car until the day of the race. However, just before the race, our car fell into pieces. As we used a weak material (thin vanguard paper) as the base of the car, it was unable to withstand the weight and the force of the mousetrap. As expected, it failed.
We thought that was the end, but our teacher gave us another opportunity. We went back to class, dismantled the car and rebuilt it using leftover materials from our friends. We changed the design and our modified car “Mark II” managed to go much further than before! We were ecstatic. We held our creation with pride, confident that it will succeed.
When it was time for the re-test, we confidently coiled the string and released it. To our shock, it did not even move an inch. We were flabbergasted. We tried it again and again, but like a stubborn little kid, it simply did not want to move. After trying numerous times, it finally moved a bit. The teacher looked at us disappointingly but did not say anything. However, he still gave us one last chance to retake the test two days later.
It felt miserable and I was beginning to lose faith. However, my teammates told me that we will succeed, as long as we believe it was possible. With a renewed sense of confidence, I went home to troubleshoot again. I realized that the wheels were not properly glued to the axle. I worked all through the night to fix that problem. By the end, the car was able to move properly again.
However, during the actual race, it only moved half the distance I expected. The score was just a bit higher than before. No matter how much effort I put in, nothing seemed to work. I really wanted to just give up. Just then, I remembered my parents’ advice “Don’t give up! Just keep on trying!” So, I decided to try out one last time tomorrow.
The breakthrough!
After modifying it for yet another long night, the team prepared for our last attempt at the test. While waiting for our science teacher to come down, we tested it a few times. The car was now much more stable but It fared even worse than yesterday. It only covered a little distance.
“Cut the string to prevent energy loss.”
At this moment, a random secondary one girl walked to our group. She looked at our car and remarked, “Cut the string to prevent energy loss.” We were shocked. We never thought of cutting the string. We always assumed that it needed to be attached to the axle in order to move! However, we were desperate and so decided to give it a go.
To our surprise, it really worked! When our teacher came down to take the score, the car traveled an astonishing 9 meters in 11 seconds! As the score formula is Distance x 4 minus time, we got way higher than level four! We gasped and thanked the teacher for his patience and the random girl for her incredible tip!
After enduring for so long, our hard work has finally paid off! This project was very frustrating but it taught me many things. Luck plays a part sometimes. You never know when “Divine intervention” will come, but if we keep trying… good things will happen.
Howie CHIA
21 May 2019
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