Mousetrap Racers | Complete Builders Manual

Description:

Winners of a mousetrap racer competition know that physics is their friend! The design and function of a winning mousetrap car must utilize Newton's Laws of Motion, and this guide reviews both the science and engineering processes needed for a great project.

Starting with a simple but effective mousetrap, this book guides readers through the steps necessary for acquiring the proper building materials, planning the design, developing knowledge of why and how the racer may run, and what must be done to construct the device. Readers will learn the skills necessary to analyze the task and work with the design until a racer can be completed to specifications for a defined task. The racer might be required to travel the greatest distance, travel fastest, navigate a track, or perform a designed function to go to a point, stop, and return. Once the decision is made on what the racer is to do, the designer must apply the principles of motion to achieve the goal.

Diagrams provide clarification for the detailed printed instructions on building various types of racers for speed, distance, or performance goals. Included in the book are definitions of the scientific terms and understandings necessary for success in this activity, ideas for types of contests, lab activities, and illustrations of supplies, assembly, and designing.

This book will capture the interest of both students and teachers who want to find fun in learning and achieve recognition that is not refutable. Once the goal is set, the racer either meets or exceeds the standard by completing the task. There can be no mistake that the knowledge was understood and applied as demonstrated by the path of the racer. Time spent in perfecting the design is reward in itself, but when there is a competition and recognitions are attached, students have greater motivation. The author use this activity as a final assessment that replaced an exam. Students, parents, and teachers who read this book will become engaged in both mastery of content and engineering skills as they exercise their need for competitive activities and mastery in their learning environment. The paperbound book, whether used as a lesson plan or provided as a source for hobbyist, is a good size, colorful, and written in an interesting manner. It might not last long in a library setting, but it would be a good addition to the classroom and home shelf for the students who are visual or tactile learners