Washington
Junior High School
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It's
Mousetrap Derby 2003
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Fundamental
laws of physics and math, combined with old fashioned creativity
prove you can build a better mousetrap... powered car
that is.
Story
and Video Post Production by Gary Olsen
Video
camera work by Alexis Spencer and the Clarke College Multimedia
Lab
 he
sounds of the track, the scream of unbridled horsepower,
the smell of performance fuel, and... wait a moment... what
kind of car racing competition is this? Ladies and Gentlemen!"
intones the track announcer. "Start your mousetraps!"
Welcome
to Washington Junior High School's Mousetrap Derby. We have
a little video here that pretty much explains everything,
so let's not delay.
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The turtle downloads a complete
movie, no streaming. This is best for telephone modems. After saving this file,
you can play it with RealPlayer. The rabbit button
is a streaming movie. If you have high-speed web access such as DSL, it will begin
playing immediately. The rocket button is for high-speed networks (like our schools
have), DSL, and cable modems. It's the largest size streaming movie file with
full-stereo audio. Further instructions are below on how to play video and audio
files that appear on our website.
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Instructions
For Those Outside of Our School Network (The General Public)
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We are now providing a choice of RealPlayer applications for you to download
and install on your computer to enable you to view the video and audio
files. One is RealPlayer8 and the other is RealOne Player, which is an
excellent player with many new features. It's easy to install, so just
 follow
the on-screen steps. You will be required to register with Real.com, but
these are free software applications (there are versions you can pay for
if you choose, but they are not necessary for basic viewing and listening).
Which
Player is Best for Me?
 Of
the two types of free players available, RealPlayer 8 is the traditional
player that is free and will work beautifully to access Web based multimedia
files from our site. There is also a new player available, which is also
free, called RealONE. Either player will probably work for your operating
system. If your system is older (Windows 95, NT), however, you may want
to use the RealPlayer 8 software. If you are running a newer, faster system
like Windows 98, ME, XP, or 2000, go for the RealOne player.
Macintosh
Owners:
 You
can get a RealPlayer for Macintosh, Visit Real.com
to download their free player options. Remember, look for the FREE players.
They are sometimes difficult to find on their Web site.
Oh, and one more
thing... sometimes when you click on a sound or video file in our Web
site with the RealPlayer installed, you get a little commercial window
that pops up on your desktop. It's annoying, but a small price to pay
for the privilege of having the free RealPlayer on your system. Just click
it off, and it will disappear.
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Instructions
For Machines on our School Network (Teachers and Staff)
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recommending (and IT is supporting) RealPlayer8.
This is for ALL computers on our network (in all school and administration
buildings throughout the District). This includes all Windows 2000 machines.
Click here to get the free player from
our network server. If you do not have administrative priveleges,
please call your building media specialist to help you. |
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Cars
come in all designs and materials, from Lego blocks to
CDs for wheels. Mousetrap cars must use a mousetrap for
propulsion.
Click
on these photos to reveal larger, more printable versions.
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Rear
wheels made from CDs provide low friction and the advantages
of a larger drive wheel. Most cars use the mousetrap to
slowly unwind a string that has been wrapped around the
axle. As the trap is sprung, the string turns the axle,
and the car is propelled down the track. Some cars literally
explode off the line with a snap. Some just explode. Others
slowly make their way down the course as the energy of the
mousetrap is transferred to the axle and the drive wheels.
If the racer stays straight on course, it must outdistance
other racers to attain distinction.
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