Mouse Trap Car: Reverse Challenge
Earth shattering secrets for building record setting and winning mousetrap cars and racers. Here you will find all the latest and greatest untold construction secrets so you can build your very own mousetrap vehicle.
OBJECTIVE
The objective is to build a vehicle that is powered solely by a standard-sized mouse trap that will travel to a 5-meter line and then reverse back to the start line in the shortest amount of time.
By definition a vehicle is a device with wheels and/or runners. Launching a ball or another object from the mouse trap will be ruled illegal. The entire vehicle must leave the start line and travel as one unit.
REGULATIONS
1. The vehicle must be powered by a single Victor brand mouse trap
measuring: 1 - 3/4 inches X 3 - 7/8 inches.
2. The mouse trap cannot be physically altered except for the following:
- holes can be drilled only to mount the mouse trap to a frame
- the mouse trap's snapper arm may be cut and lengthened
3. The vehicle may not start with additional potential and/or kinetic energy other than what can be stored in the mouse trap's spring.
4. The spring from the mouse trap cannot be altered or heat treated.
5. The mouse trap's spring cannot be wound more than its normal travel distance or 180 degrees.
6. Vehicles must be self-starting.
7. The vehicles must steer itself and may not receive a push in any direction in order avoid a collision.
8. Timing of the vehicle will begin when any part of the vehicle passes over the start line and will ends when that same point of the vehicle passes a second time over the same start/finish line.
9. The part of the vehicle that first passed the start line must touch and/or pass over the five meter mark before return to the start/finish line.
9. The instructor has the final decision as to the appropriateness of any additional items that might be used in the construction of the vehicle.
RUNNING THE CONTEST
The course will be a smooth level floor such as a gymnasiums or a non-carpeted hallway. The winner will be that vehicle that has obtained the least amount of time on any of the three attempts. Any ties will be decided by a single run off between the tied vehicles.
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