a) Date: January 29, 2016
b) Course/Section: Physics
c) Instructor: Mr. Yav
d) Team Members: Drew Collishaw, Todd Obilor, John Csubak
2. Executive Summary (A few sentences with a diagram, sketch, or picture):
a) The purpose of the executive summary is to provide key information up-front, such that while reading the report, a reader has expectations that are fulfilled on a continuous basis. Key to a good Summary is the first sentence, which must contain the most essential information that you wish to convey.
b) It must include a short description of the project, requirements, and your intended goal.
c) The summary is to be written as if the reader is totally uninformed about your project and is not necessarily going to read the report itself.
The purpose of this project is to use a mousetrap and other materials to build a "car" that will demonstrate the conservation of energy as it's transferred from elastic PE to KE. We will also demonstrate the conservation of momentum through the aftermath of collisions. We must use other materials to protect an egg that will be placed on the car. Our goal is to use a mousetrap to power the car and move it towards a downward ramp that will be opposite of another car. The cars will collide and our goal is to break the opponents egg and keep ours safe.
3. Table of Contents Section: Include section titles
I
. Design problem and objectives
II. Detailed design documentation
III. Test plans
IV. Bill of materials
V. Task chart
VI. Safety and Ethical Consideration
VII. References
4. Design problem and objectives (elaborate from your executive summary, 1/2 to a 3⁄4 page): Give a clear and concise definition of the problem and the intended objectives. Outline any design constraints (you can find some of this info in the design description).
a) Include appropriate background on the project for the reader to be able to put the information provided in context. You are elaborating more on the executive summary.
The problem we have faced is the only form of energy we can use is a mousetrap, so we must make our car relatively light since it will go faster the lighter it is. Also, the mousetrap isn't very big so we need to figure out a way to increase the amount of energy it will produce by tying a string to a stick to make it longer, increasing the PE and KE. Since maximum potential energy is equal to maximum kinetic energy, if we increase the potential energy, we will also increase the amount of kinetic energy that is present at its fastest point. We also need to figure out the problem with friction from the tires. It can't be zero friction because the immediate increase in energy would not allow the car to reach its full velocity, however it cannot be to much friction because that will result in the car being to "sticky" and not going as fast as it could. This is why we plan to use Lego tires that have a rubber coating but do not cause the car to lose energy. Furthermore, we need to get the size of the tires right because it needs to accelerate quickly, which is why we plan on using wheels with a 3"-4" diameter to maximize the acceleration. If the mousetrap contraption ends up working, our car should be a very solid design and reach our goal of making it 1.5 meters.
5. Detailed design documentation: Show all elements of your design (*7 pts)
First, as necessary, we will be constructing our entire car around the standard mousetrap. For the supporting framework, we will be using legos supplied by one of our group members. The first of these supporting frameworks is the axle which will have fishing wire wound around it and tied to the lever of the mousetrap. The mousetrap's lever is potential (stored) energy, and the levers movement directly affects the string causing the axle to spin and the car to move. Specifically, when the lever activates, work is being done on it because the force of the lever coming down causes a displacement to the car. The standard mousetrap will have a wooden pencil secured to it in order to increase the displacement of the lever and increase the work. When the axle spins, the wheels will obviously begin to move, and the wheel specifications also play a vital role in the movement of the car. The wheels we plan to use would be 1-2 inches in diameter in order to allow it to accelerate quickly yet still be mobile. This is because acceleration is velocity over time and the less time it takes for the wheels to move in rapid revolutions, the faster the acceleration. Also, in an effort to make the wheels mobile, we will use wheels that have rubber tread on them to increase friction. The rubber helps because it increases the coefficient of friction (stickiness) of the tires. As I stated earlier, the mousetrap will remain in the base of our car; however, we plan to use legos in the outer layer of our car. Although this protects against the crumpling or demolition of the car body we needed to take precaution to protect the driver. Therefore, we were inspired by airbags in cars, to build a compartment out of legos that would act as the "driver's seat" and use cotton balls as a cushion for the egg. The reason why cotton balls would be safe are because their plushness increases the time of a collision and therefore minimizing the amount of force in the collision. In order to impale the other car, we had to take precautions to both hurt it yet follow the rules AND protect ourselves. Therefore, we decided to use a plastic fork which could do significant damage to another driver if it had enough momentum. Thus, we used the formula that momentum is mass times velocity to know that adding more legos and traveling at a good speed would impale the car. We will keep that in mind while building.
b) Cost analysis
Cotton Balls- $3.00
Legos- free (have already)
Wooden pencil- free (have already)
Wheels- free (have already)
Mousetrap- $10.00
Plastic Forks- $5.00
c) Any human factors considered
The biggest human factor has to be experimenting with the placement of all the objects on the car and making sure they fit in a way that does not impede the car.
d, e) Include pictures diagrams from any white board brainstorming sessions.
6. Test plans for all portions of the system that you built and tested. Write a narrative description of test plan(s). How to plan to test your design and what results would you expect? Provide 2-3 possible scenarios for each part.
We plan to test out the car by making a ramp out of makeshift materials found around the house. We first would put the car on the ramp BEFORE we begin to add on framework to make sure that all the attachments between the axle and the lever worked as planned. Once they did we would test with the framework, followed by the egg compartment, then with the weaponry. I expect to first see that the axel will not hookup correctly and that the wheels will stay locked causing the car to not move. Also, I expect to see major and constant revisions with the driver's compartment with the impulse that the egg would have to experience.
7. Bill of materials: Start piecing this list together early. Your initial set of parts may not reflect your list in your final report. Include approximate costs.
Cotton Balls- $3.00
Legos- free (have already)
Wooden pencil- free (have already)
Wheels- free (have already)
Mousetrap- $10.00
Plastic Forks- $5.00
8. Task chart: Show a complete listing of the major tasks to be performed for all different parts of the project, a time schedule for completing them, and which team member has the primary responsibility (and who will be held accountable) for each task.
John: bring materials, help with design
Todd: manufacturing/construction
Drew: testing/ modifications
9. Safety and Ethical Consideration: Provide information on any ethical considerations that govern the product specifications you have developed or that need to be taken into account in potentially marketing the product. Also provide a statement of the safety consideration in your proposed design to the extent that is relevant.
Be careful not to stick finger in rat trap. Very safe and reliable product.
10. References: Including websites, books, technical journals, patents.
No external resources accessed
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