Discover - Building a Device or Vehicle that Can Power Itself

 Discover - Building a Device or Vehicle that Can Power Itself

A device that moves on its own requires a source of energy.

Can you believe that you can power a car with a mousetrap? It's true! A mousetrap has a powerful spring that is meant to move a metal bar quickly. The spring stores elastic energy that can be used to power a vehicle. Energy is the ability of system to do work or to move.

Ouch!  Being shot by an elastic band hurts!  Actually, an elastic band has no energy itself; it only stores the energy that you add when you stretch it.  When you let the elastic go, the energy is released and goes from being stored energy to energy of motion.
Mousetrap cars are a popular hobby item to build because they can be built with cheap and simple materials, they do not need much energy (just the elastic energy from the mousetrap), and they are fun to build and race!

Elastic energy is not the only form of energy that can be used to keep a device or vehicle moving.  Wind, water, gravity, electricity, fuels, and even magnets can be used to provide energy for a moving vehicle.

When an energy source is added to a vehicle, often a linkage must be added as well.  A linkage connects the energy source to the wheels (or propeller or whatever makes the vehicle move).  This image shows the large rod linkages that connect the train wheels to the steam or diesel engine energy source.

In this activity, you will use your design skills to build a vehicle that has moving parts and uses an energy source so that you do not need to push or pull it yourself.