The MOUSENATOR “ The supreme semi-humane capture device”

Michael RaphaelPhillip

Step 1 This is the horrible object that starts the process. The unlucky victim “a pen” will activate the armed mousetrap, releasing the trap’s elastic potential energy Then, kinetic energy, released by the mouse trap, causes the mouse trap to hit the lever and mildly wound the would- be victim.

Step 2 The lever hits the ball, and overcomes the friction of the placemat Then, glides down the ramp at a reasonable speed, while changing gravitational potential energy into kinetic. The ball collides with a second lever pulling a string with reasonable force.

Step 3 As the ball glides down the second level, it hits the a smaller lever causing a string to pull the support of the gate The gate then transfers its gravitational potential energy to kinetic energy causing the gate to fall and trap the victim with minor wounds.

Design Issues!!!!! An uneven structure caused the wooden ball to derail. A piece of Styrofoam board was added to stabilize the structure. The gate would fall forward when released before a support was added. The mousetrap would routinely become airborne when activated, causing wide- spread PANIC! We glued the mousetrap to the above mentioned board.

CONCLUSION We have created a more friendly way to capture our small furry friends. In doing this project, we have demonstrated 3 energy conversions. We hope more people will adopt this method of capturing rodents.