GA Students Build A Better Mousetrap
Each year, Widener University's School of Engineering holds a road rally designed to challenge the mathematical skill and creativity of high school students. Students must successfully traverse a given course with a mousetrap powered vehicle. The snap of the mousetrap provides the energy to make the "car" go. The specifications change annually - this year's theme is titled "A Twisted Tail" - but the task remains the same-- problem solving in a team environment.
This fall Nick Jones '04, Sean White '04 and Craig Cramer '04 represented GA with their custom designed "It's a Trap" car. GA submitted the only car with an active steering system, a feature greatly admired by the other teams. The GA team was thrilled to make it to the finals in this competition with 65 teams from all over the mid-Atlantic region, many of which integrate the competition into their curriculum.
Nick Jones reports:
"Everything came together in just a few hours. Sean came up with the idea of using strings to activate the steering - a solution to the challenge presented by the 90 degree turn. The string mechanism allowed us to modify the trajectory to any course. We used a rollerblade wheel because of its friction reducing ball bearings. Like most other entrants, we chose cdroms as the back wheels. We are all interested in engineering and it was really nice to be able to apply our interests in a design competition."
Advisor John Millar commented that he had a really great time, "surrounded by all the math and engineering nerds you could possibly want." Bliss.