Introduction
For our Rube Goldberg project, we were instructed to build a machine with at least ten steps, five simple machines, and five listed energy transfers. We started this process by begining to draw a design. Due to problems with some of these steps, many of the steps in our original design were replaced with better functioning steps while building the actual product.
We were given three hours of time to design and plan out the building of the project, and twelve hours of time to actually build it. Lots of teamwork, planning, and improvisation were put into this project, and we are all very happy with the prot we ended up with.
Concepts
Here is a brief definition of the concepts mentioned in the explanation:
While drawing our initial design, we did not have acces to all the materials we would need to build the machine. This led to a lot of improvisation on our part while building the machine. Some of the main changes came in steps 6 and 7. We also changed the final step to fit the needs of the actual project. In our original design, the ball that rolls down the inclined plane in step 6, isn't a ball but a car. We planned to have it weigh down the inclined plane on a spring, allowing the ball to roll down in step 8. This didn't work because of the fact that the movement of the wedge would point the car off corse, disrupting what was sopposed to happen is step 7. We also originally planned to have our end goal be to put a stamp on an envelop. This wasnt possible becuse the stamp would fly off the lever at the end every time.
Reflections
I think that our project was a huge success. By the end, it worked consistently, and our presentation was well thought out. I think that our group worked together very well, and that we all stayed focused and motivated the whole time. I think that if there was one thing that we could improve upon, it would be pacing ourselves to finish better. I learned that I am a little bit of a natural leader in groups, and that I work well with others. I also think that I personally can improve on my group skills by giving others more of a chance to share their ideas and take leadership of the group. I think my main strength in this project was my leadership, and I actually suprised myself some by my overall lead role in the group. I think one of my weaknesses in this project was being able to let others participate. I also had a hard time letting others use their ideas for the project, as I was very insistent that my ideas were the ones the groups should use. An example of this was when we were designing the steps of the Rube Goldberg, and I tried very hard to prove that my ideas were better than those of the other group members. The next time we work in groups, I can fix this by being more accepting of the groups ideas, and maybe trying to even combine mine and theirs so that everyone's happy. Overall, I think that this was a very successful project that I learned a lot from.
For our Rube Goldberg project, we were instructed to build a machine with at least ten steps, five simple machines, and five listed energy transfers. We started this process by begining to draw a design. Due to problems with some of these steps, many of the steps in our original design were replaced with better functioning steps while building the actual product.
We were given three hours of time to design and plan out the building of the project, and twelve hours of time to actually build it. Lots of teamwork, planning, and improvisation were put into this project, and we are all very happy with the prot we ended up with.
Concepts
Here is a brief definition of the concepts mentioned in the explanation:
- Force is a push or pull. It is calculated by multiplying mass and acceleration.
- Speed is the amount of distance an object covers in a given amount of time.
- Velocity is speed with a direction. Speed and velocity are both calculated by dividing distance and time.
- Mechanical advantage is how much easier the machine makes something, or how much less force it requires. This is calculated by dividing the input distance by the output distance, or input force and output force.
- Work is the amount of force applied to move an object a certain distance. It is calculated by multiplying force and distance.
- Potential energy is the energy of an object in a certain position. PE is calculated by multiplying mass, acceleration due to gravity, and the height of the object.
- Kinetic energy is how much energy an object has due to motion. It is calculated by multiplying 1/2 mass and velocity squared.
- Acceleration is the rate of change in an object's motion. It is calculated by dividing the change in velocity and the change in time.
- Inclined Plane: A lacrosse ball with a downward force of 1.41 Newtons rolls down an inclined plane and into a cup.
- Pulley: The ball lands in the cup, creating a greater downward force than the downward force of the tennis ball and wooden block on the oposite end. Because the mechanical advantage of the pulley is one, the pulley does not change the output force on the ball, only the direction of the output force. The wood block then hits the orange/red ball, setting it in motion down a second inclined plane.
- Inclined Plane: The orange/red ball rolls down the second inclined plane. The potential energy from the starting point of the ball is transfered into kinetic energy as the ball rolls, and the total change from kinetic energy to potential energy is 0.115 Joules.
- Ball hits weight: The ball hits the weight resting at the end of the inclined plane. All of the kinetic energy of the ball is transferred into the weight as the ball exerts a force on the weight. The weight weight about 100 grams.
- Wheel & Axel: When the weight falls, the string it is attached to is wrapped around the axel of a wheel and axel. when the string is pulled, the larger wheel spins, removing the wedge out of way of the smaller orange ball. The mechanical advantage of the wheel and axel is 1/18. We found this by rinding the radius of the axel, and comparing it to the radius of the weel.
- Inclined Plane: With the wedge not in place to hold it back, the small orange ball rolls down the long inclined plane. The force of the ball rolling down the inclined plane is 0.19 newtons. The mechanical advantage of this inclined plane is 3, and the ball accelerated at 3.26 m/s squared.
- Ball hitting wooden block: When the orange ball rolls of the inclined plane, its hits a wooden block supporting one of the sides of a class one lever/ inclined plane. The force of the ball on the wooden block is 0.19 Newtons.
- Lacrosse ball rolls down lever: With the wooden block no longer supporting the end of the lever, the lever becomes unbalanced and doubles as an inclined plane. At the very top, the ball has a potential energy of 1.0152 Joules, and zero joules of kinetic energy, all relative to the ground. At the end of the inclined plane, the ball has a kinetic energy of 0.825 joules, and a potential energy of 0.142 joules.
- Ball into tube: The lacrosse ball falls into the tube, and into a cup in the tube attached to a pulley. The pulley has a mechanical advantage of one, and is attached to a 50 gram mass at the other end.
- The ball flips out of the top heavy cup at the end of the tube, and onto the lever.
- The lever goes up and hits the bell at the other end. The lever has a mechanical advantage of 0.82, and the lacrosse ball has a force of 1.41 newtons on the lever.
While drawing our initial design, we did not have acces to all the materials we would need to build the machine. This led to a lot of improvisation on our part while building the machine. Some of the main changes came in steps 6 and 7. We also changed the final step to fit the needs of the actual project. In our original design, the ball that rolls down the inclined plane in step 6, isn't a ball but a car. We planned to have it weigh down the inclined plane on a spring, allowing the ball to roll down in step 8. This didn't work because of the fact that the movement of the wedge would point the car off corse, disrupting what was sopposed to happen is step 7. We also originally planned to have our end goal be to put a stamp on an envelop. This wasnt possible becuse the stamp would fly off the lever at the end every time.
Reflections
I think that our project was a huge success. By the end, it worked consistently, and our presentation was well thought out. I think that our group worked together very well, and that we all stayed focused and motivated the whole time. I think that if there was one thing that we could improve upon, it would be pacing ourselves to finish better. I learned that I am a little bit of a natural leader in groups, and that I work well with others. I also think that I personally can improve on my group skills by giving others more of a chance to share their ideas and take leadership of the group. I think my main strength in this project was my leadership, and I actually suprised myself some by my overall lead role in the group. I think one of my weaknesses in this project was being able to let others participate. I also had a hard time letting others use their ideas for the project, as I was very insistent that my ideas were the ones the groups should use. An example of this was when we were designing the steps of the Rube Goldberg, and I tried very hard to prove that my ideas were better than those of the other group members. The next time we work in groups, I can fix this by being more accepting of the groups ideas, and maybe trying to even combine mine and theirs so that everyone's happy. Overall, I think that this was a very successful project that I learned a lot from.