Has anyone had to build a mousetrap powered catapult for school. i need to build and i was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on how they built there's to succeed. i need to be able to throw a marble for a minimum of 6 meters. thanks for your help.
2006-11-19 06:38:36 · 2 answers · asked by ry 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Well, if you have to use a mousetrap, the best thing to do is to find a big mousetrap. Get a few and make sure yours is a quality one that isn't worn and that the spring has some life to it.
Probably the hardest part is going to build some sort of a cage that will hold the marble in place and get it to throw the marble at a 45degree angle.
Get a protractor and set the base of the trap on an angle so that when it does go off you can get as close to 45degrees as possible.
Also If you can build some sort of a stop on your mousetrap so that when the throwing end flings it doesn't smash your cage you built on it . I would put a strong metal wire that catches the arm after it fires.
2006-11-19 06:45:41 · answer #1 · answered by travis R 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think the largest measuring spoon ( 1 tablespoon) would just about fit a ping-pong ball. tape it to the side arm of the mousetrap, then have something for the arm to hit at different points in it's travel. by having a choice of stops, you would have a choice of trajectories.
2016-05-22 03:55:37 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋