Mousetrap Cart Project Slides

 Mousetrap Cart Slides:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1zlmf_Unf6j3Ns-mlvq8xeCbXqNIt-AffCYyyHuuJQHM/edit#slide=id.g3529b6f39cf_2_119

Individual Contributions:

    I started out by helping my group come up with the initial designs. I knew we should have some sort of triangular supports with a rod in the middle to hold the hanging mass. Then, as a group, we came up with a few more ideas like not using the "snap back function" of the mousetrap and also tying each system to a separate axle. After that I made a very simplistic model out of scrap wood, cardboard, and chopsticks to see if it would work, and it did (but not very well). The structure was too weak to support a 500 gram mass, and also the wheels supplied were too flimsy. Then, Enbo designed a full CAD structure that looked great. However, the structure was extremely heavy, to the point that the wheels couldn't even support the design itself, let alone the mass on top. So, I helped dimension the pieces to take most of the unnecessary weight out. After completing the second design, I printed it and then we assembled it. Again there was another issue; the issue being that we needed a heavy mass (500 g) to set the mousetrap, but a light enough mass (200 g), so that the torque produced by the mousetrap was enough to move it back. We came up with two solutions: try and alter the hanging object to find the optimal mass or somehow manage to completely disconnect the hanging mass from the cart. The problem with severing the mass was that our structure was too small to cut a large enough piece out for the mass to fall out horizontally. We needed the 500 g mass to fall horizontally because it was too tall (with the hook connected) to fit under the car, thus stopping its travel. So, I made a totally new CAD design to accommodate the size of the mass. However, we ended up not using the new design (for fear of not being able to print and complete the project in time) and instead drilled a hole out of the base plate using a drill press. 

    After the physical model was complete, I recorded the motion and did video analysis. We had multiple good runs, but I ended up only using the two best ones. Then I developed the work-energy models to incorporate all the different pieces of motion. With that done, we assembled all of the information from previous labs or other sources to find the all of the variables in the equations. Next, I started writing the initial code to initialize the variables, setup some of the design for the cart and background, and also put in the graphs. Enbo took over from there, while I worked on the presentation slides. I looked over the rubric to make sure I had all of the necessary information. I compiled the data from video analysis, labs, equations we used, and anything else pertinent. After most of the code was complete, I tried to help debug some of the issues we were having, like the cart design and loops. Overall, I believe this was a lot of work for two people; however, we both contributed to the project, which made it more manageable.