Mousetrap car design and materials

GreenRoxz

Hello,

I am building a mousetrap car for my physics class. I have looked at other threads for the best materials and designs but none of them have helped me much.
I was wondering if anyone could give me something new to work with.

I would like to have a three wheel design but my main problem is that I do not know what are the best materials. If anyone could name a few specific items I would be forever grateful.

Stay real, Stay True

Danger

I''ll give you the same advice that I give to everyone else who pops in with this question. Use the threat of the mousetrap to force the mice into slave labour and make them pull your car.

NascentOxygen

Hi GreenRoxz,

I have nil experience with building mousetrap cars, but the ones I´ve constructed in my mind all suffer from a common problem: wheel spin.

So to minimize this, I provide the car with a flywheel, arranging for the flywheel to absorb the energy from the spring and release it at a slower measured rate to the rear wheels. With this improvement, the imaginary car travels far. A clockwork mechanism built around the spring might be even more impressive. Is the ultimate goal to maximize distance of travel, or to maximize top speed?