DESCRIPTION:
For our first STEM project of year, we were assigned to build a Rube Goldberg project, a complex machine that in the end does a very simple task. Rube Goldberg was a cartoonist who would draw cartoons about outrageous gadgets that would perform various tasks, Such as cutting your hair, and spreading butter. We decided to have all six simple machines, a building log, four energy transfers. Below is a video of our hard work.
Our machine is a 10 step machine. First a marble is rolled down a tube, and after it rolls down it will hit a cup and it will trigger a pulley and it will release a wedge that is holding another marble in place. Then the marble will roll down several inclined planes, then it will roll down a tube, and it will hit the first domino, then when the first domino falls it will trigger a toppling effect until the last domino hits a marble. The marble will roll down another tube and hit a back plate, since the back plate is a lever, and it will hit the marble on top, then knock over a cup. The cup will trigger another pulley and the pulley will release another marble down a ramp. When the marble is at the end of the ramp it will hit a stick and spread the butter on the bread.
For our first STEM project of year, we were assigned to build a Rube Goldberg project, a complex machine that in the end does a very simple task. Rube Goldberg was a cartoonist who would draw cartoons about outrageous gadgets that would perform various tasks, Such as cutting your hair, and spreading butter. We decided to have all six simple machines, a building log, four energy transfers. Below is a video of our hard work.
Our machine is a 10 step machine. First a marble is rolled down a tube, and after it rolls down it will hit a cup and it will trigger a pulley and it will release a wedge that is holding another marble in place. Then the marble will roll down several inclined planes, then it will roll down a tube, and it will hit the first domino, then when the first domino falls it will trigger a toppling effect until the last domino hits a marble. The marble will roll down another tube and hit a back plate, since the back plate is a lever, and it will hit the marble on top, then knock over a cup. The cup will trigger another pulley and the pulley will release another marble down a ramp. When the marble is at the end of the ramp it will hit a stick and spread the butter on the bread.
Physics Concepts:
Velocity- The rate of distance covered in a certain direction. For example when the ball is rolling down the ramp, it gains velocity.
Mechanical advantage- Mechanical advantage is how much easier is to make the machine work, it is calculated by dividing the input distance by the output distance, since our pulley has a mechanical advantage of 1 so it doesn't make work easier.
Kinetic energy- kinetic energy is the energy an object has due to motion. It is calculated by multiplying 1/2 of the mass and the velocity squared.
Force- a push or pull, and it can be calculated by multiplying mass times acceleration. For example when the big white marble hits the small steal marble it exerts a force on the steal marble.
Potential energy- the energy an object has due to its position, and it can be calculated by multiplying the mass, the acceleration due to gravity, and the height of the object.
Construction Log:
Day 1: We were figuring out our supplies, and laying everything out, and added the pulley. Also attaching the table.
Day 2: WE then starting working on cutting up the tube. We attached the screw in.
Day 3: We attached the bakery, and added ramps and back boards to it so the ball could roll back and forth, and then added the tube that the ball rolls into.
Day 4: We found the dominoes and laid them out, and screwed in the biggest domino and drew a hole so the ball could be put there, then attached another tube that the ball rolls down.
Day 5: We attached the oven, and glued CD’s on the side of it, and made another pulley by screwing in a piece of wood.
Day 6: We attached another ramp, and screwed in 7 pieces of wood so the ramp could be attached on top of the wood.
Day 7: We attached the CD onto the knife to where the butter will be put on.
Day 8&9: Making adjustments.
Day 10: Making sure everything works.
Simple Machines:
Lever, inclined plane, pulley, screw, wedge, wheel and axial.
Blue Print:
Initial:
Velocity- The rate of distance covered in a certain direction. For example when the ball is rolling down the ramp, it gains velocity.
Mechanical advantage- Mechanical advantage is how much easier is to make the machine work, it is calculated by dividing the input distance by the output distance, since our pulley has a mechanical advantage of 1 so it doesn't make work easier.
Kinetic energy- kinetic energy is the energy an object has due to motion. It is calculated by multiplying 1/2 of the mass and the velocity squared.
Force- a push or pull, and it can be calculated by multiplying mass times acceleration. For example when the big white marble hits the small steal marble it exerts a force on the steal marble.
Potential energy- the energy an object has due to its position, and it can be calculated by multiplying the mass, the acceleration due to gravity, and the height of the object.
Construction Log:
Day 1: We were figuring out our supplies, and laying everything out, and added the pulley. Also attaching the table.
Day 2: WE then starting working on cutting up the tube. We attached the screw in.
Day 3: We attached the bakery, and added ramps and back boards to it so the ball could roll back and forth, and then added the tube that the ball rolls into.
Day 4: We found the dominoes and laid them out, and screwed in the biggest domino and drew a hole so the ball could be put there, then attached another tube that the ball rolls down.
Day 5: We attached the oven, and glued CD’s on the side of it, and made another pulley by screwing in a piece of wood.
Day 6: We attached another ramp, and screwed in 7 pieces of wood so the ramp could be attached on top of the wood.
Day 7: We attached the CD onto the knife to where the butter will be put on.
Day 8&9: Making adjustments.
Day 10: Making sure everything works.
Simple Machines:
Lever, inclined plane, pulley, screw, wedge, wheel and axial.
Blue Print:
Initial:
Final:
Calculations:
reflections:
In the rube Goldberg project my group had many great elements in our machine for example our machine was in flat form different from the other groups, our group efficiency was re our machine work pretty consistently. I learned that i have to work together as a team is really important to get the job done. Since is a long time since I used a power tool so i got a better handling of the saw, and the drills, and i need to improve on the attitude because during the whole projects people will see me as toxic. Our projects had some flaws too. One of them was that we did not have a enough force to hit the stick at the end, one way to fix that was to have a more increase slop for the ramp. Another one was it was a pain in the butt to get the dominoes right, we can fix that by finding better materials.
In the rube Goldberg project my group had many great elements in our machine for example our machine was in flat form different from the other groups, our group efficiency was re our machine work pretty consistently. I learned that i have to work together as a team is really important to get the job done. Since is a long time since I used a power tool so i got a better handling of the saw, and the drills, and i need to improve on the attitude because during the whole projects people will see me as toxic. Our projects had some flaws too. One of them was that we did not have a enough force to hit the stick at the end, one way to fix that was to have a more increase slop for the ramp. Another one was it was a pain in the butt to get the dominoes right, we can fix that by finding better materials.