Rube Goldberg Machine
Recently our whole class has been working on building a Rube Goldberg machine project for the past month. A Rube Goldberg machine is a machine that involves a series of complicated steps that have a simple end result. Our goal as an end result was to make tea using water and sugar cubes falling into a big cup with a tea bag in it. We had 11 days in the month to construct our project. My group started by brainstorming ides of what we were going to do. Once we figured out what we wanted the end result to be we made a sketch model of our project. We then had to think out all our steps and how it was going to work which we also wrote down on paper. After thinking out the basics, my group got to building. The machine had to include at least 10 easy to see steps, five simple machines, and three to four energy transfers. Our Rube Goldberg machine started by lifting up a wedge to release a small "soccer ball" down an inclined plane, where then the soccer ball hit a lever triggering it to hit a golf ball and small marble down another inclined plane. The golf ball and marble's inclined plane was separated by a straw and had the balls going down two different paths. The golf ball then rolled into a big hole as the marble rolled into a different smaller hole. The marble went down another series of inclined planes and then knocked into sugar cubes set up on one of the ramps and caused them to fall into the tea cup as the marble rolled onto the ground. Meanwhile, the golf ball went down two other inclined planes and fell into a small cup, activating a pulley. The pulley would lift up and cause a cup sitting on it filled with water to fall over and go into out funnel and screw. The water then went down the screw and into the cup with the tea bag and sugar cubes. Now we have made tea with our wonderful machine! To go along with the machine we also constructed a presentation that included all the calculations of the physics involved, steps of the machine, our schematics and rough drawings from day 1, energy transfers, and a detailed oral speech. Over the course of time we had about 22 hours to complete our building process and presentation of our Rube Goldberg machine.
Steps:
Step 1: Lift up wedge and release "soccer ball" which was exerting a force of 0.4921 N. Force is a push or pull on an object and can be calculated by multiplying mass times acceleration, F=ma. Force is recorded in the unit Newtons.
Step 2: The soccer ball rolls down the inclined plane with a force of 0.4928 N.
Step 3: The soccer ball hits a lever with a force of 4.503 N.
Step 4: The lever hits a golf ball and marble and causes them to roll down another inclined plane. During this action the energy is converted from kinetic energy to potential energy.
Step 5: Both balls had a change in potential energy (energy of position) which is related to the relative position of two things. The golf ball had a chnage in potential energy of 0.0495 J and the marble had a change in potential energy of 0.00065 J. It is calculated by multiplying mass and acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s^2) and height and is measured in Joules.
Step 6: The marble travels down two more inclined planes. The first inclined plane has a velocity of 0.3123 m/s and the second has a velocity of 0.66 m/s. Velocity is speed with a given direction. It is calculated by giving distance over time and the unit is used in meters per second V=d/t.
Step 7: The golf ball rolls down another inclined plane with a wall and has a mechanical advantage of 0.0101. Mechanical advantage is the ratio of output force for a machine. MA is found by using the equation output force/input force or input distance/output distance. There is no unit for MA.
Step 8: The marble rolls down onto another inclined plane with an acceleration. Acceleration is the rate at which velocity is changing. It is calculated by dividing the change in velocity by the change in time A=v/t. The unit used is m/s^2.
Step 9: The golf ball falls into the cup with a certain velocity and activates a pulley with a mechanical advantage of 1.
Step 10: The pulley is weighed down from the ball and lifts the wedge with a mechanical advantage of 1.
Step 11: The cup is knocked over and the water pours down the screw and into the big cup which has a kinetic energy change of 0.418. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. It is calculated by multiplying 1/2 mass times velocity squared, KE/PE=1/2mv^2, and the unit is labeled in Joules.
Step 12: The marble rolls down a final inclined plane with a momentum of 0.000675 kgm/s and runs into sugar cubes, knocking them over into the big cup of tea. Momentum is the product of the mass and velocity of an object. It is calculated by multiplying mass times velocity M=mv. The unit is measured in kgm/s.
Step 13: Your tea is made!
Speed: Speed is how fast something is moving. This is calculated by dividing the distance by time Speed=d/t. The unit is meters per second (m/s).
Impulse: Impulse is the product of force and time interval during which the force acts. It is calculated by multiplying force by time, Impulse=Ft. The unit is measured in kgm/s.
Work: Work is the product of the force on an object and the distance through which the object is moved. Work is calculated by multiplying force times distance, W=Fd. The unit is measured in Joules.
Reflections:
Overall I think our group did a very good job with this whole project even thought there were some things we could have done better on. One big problem in my group was our time management. We ended up spending a lot of time building and tweaking small parts of the project. This is because we didn't have much experience using power tools and had to figure out how to use all the drills and other tools. It took us a few days to get the hang of using all the tools, but once we did it was a breeze from there. Because of how much time this took us, we didn't have much time to work on or practice the presentation part of the project. Next time, I hope my group and I can manage our time better and plan out what steps we will complete each day. Another problem my group encountered was how much work and effort each person did everyday. Some days some people did more than others and other days the other people did more which caused not a very consistent process. Next time I would take what I learned and have my group give people certain tasks so we all contribute the same amount of work. Some good things I noticed that over the course of doing this project my group communicated and got along very well. This made the building and presentation process go mush smoother. Another thing I think my group and I did well was the oral presentation. When I spoke to people I presented the project and all the facts with confidence and a strong voice. From this project I learned so many new skills and techniques that I can carry on and use in life. Communicating with people, focusing on time management, doing equal amounts of work, and my speaking skills can help me with a lot of things in life and I'm so glad I get to take away knowledge like that from doing this project.
Recently our whole class has been working on building a Rube Goldberg machine project for the past month. A Rube Goldberg machine is a machine that involves a series of complicated steps that have a simple end result. Our goal as an end result was to make tea using water and sugar cubes falling into a big cup with a tea bag in it. We had 11 days in the month to construct our project. My group started by brainstorming ides of what we were going to do. Once we figured out what we wanted the end result to be we made a sketch model of our project. We then had to think out all our steps and how it was going to work which we also wrote down on paper. After thinking out the basics, my group got to building. The machine had to include at least 10 easy to see steps, five simple machines, and three to four energy transfers. Our Rube Goldberg machine started by lifting up a wedge to release a small "soccer ball" down an inclined plane, where then the soccer ball hit a lever triggering it to hit a golf ball and small marble down another inclined plane. The golf ball and marble's inclined plane was separated by a straw and had the balls going down two different paths. The golf ball then rolled into a big hole as the marble rolled into a different smaller hole. The marble went down another series of inclined planes and then knocked into sugar cubes set up on one of the ramps and caused them to fall into the tea cup as the marble rolled onto the ground. Meanwhile, the golf ball went down two other inclined planes and fell into a small cup, activating a pulley. The pulley would lift up and cause a cup sitting on it filled with water to fall over and go into out funnel and screw. The water then went down the screw and into the cup with the tea bag and sugar cubes. Now we have made tea with our wonderful machine! To go along with the machine we also constructed a presentation that included all the calculations of the physics involved, steps of the machine, our schematics and rough drawings from day 1, energy transfers, and a detailed oral speech. Over the course of time we had about 22 hours to complete our building process and presentation of our Rube Goldberg machine.
Steps:
Step 1: Lift up wedge and release "soccer ball" which was exerting a force of 0.4921 N. Force is a push or pull on an object and can be calculated by multiplying mass times acceleration, F=ma. Force is recorded in the unit Newtons.
Step 2: The soccer ball rolls down the inclined plane with a force of 0.4928 N.
Step 3: The soccer ball hits a lever with a force of 4.503 N.
Step 4: The lever hits a golf ball and marble and causes them to roll down another inclined plane. During this action the energy is converted from kinetic energy to potential energy.
Step 5: Both balls had a change in potential energy (energy of position) which is related to the relative position of two things. The golf ball had a chnage in potential energy of 0.0495 J and the marble had a change in potential energy of 0.00065 J. It is calculated by multiplying mass and acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s^2) and height and is measured in Joules.
Step 6: The marble travels down two more inclined planes. The first inclined plane has a velocity of 0.3123 m/s and the second has a velocity of 0.66 m/s. Velocity is speed with a given direction. It is calculated by giving distance over time and the unit is used in meters per second V=d/t.
Step 7: The golf ball rolls down another inclined plane with a wall and has a mechanical advantage of 0.0101. Mechanical advantage is the ratio of output force for a machine. MA is found by using the equation output force/input force or input distance/output distance. There is no unit for MA.
Step 8: The marble rolls down onto another inclined plane with an acceleration. Acceleration is the rate at which velocity is changing. It is calculated by dividing the change in velocity by the change in time A=v/t. The unit used is m/s^2.
Step 9: The golf ball falls into the cup with a certain velocity and activates a pulley with a mechanical advantage of 1.
Step 10: The pulley is weighed down from the ball and lifts the wedge with a mechanical advantage of 1.
Step 11: The cup is knocked over and the water pours down the screw and into the big cup which has a kinetic energy change of 0.418. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. It is calculated by multiplying 1/2 mass times velocity squared, KE/PE=1/2mv^2, and the unit is labeled in Joules.
Step 12: The marble rolls down a final inclined plane with a momentum of 0.000675 kgm/s and runs into sugar cubes, knocking them over into the big cup of tea. Momentum is the product of the mass and velocity of an object. It is calculated by multiplying mass times velocity M=mv. The unit is measured in kgm/s.
Step 13: Your tea is made!
Speed: Speed is how fast something is moving. This is calculated by dividing the distance by time Speed=d/t. The unit is meters per second (m/s).
Impulse: Impulse is the product of force and time interval during which the force acts. It is calculated by multiplying force by time, Impulse=Ft. The unit is measured in kgm/s.
Work: Work is the product of the force on an object and the distance through which the object is moved. Work is calculated by multiplying force times distance, W=Fd. The unit is measured in Joules.
Reflections:
Overall I think our group did a very good job with this whole project even thought there were some things we could have done better on. One big problem in my group was our time management. We ended up spending a lot of time building and tweaking small parts of the project. This is because we didn't have much experience using power tools and had to figure out how to use all the drills and other tools. It took us a few days to get the hang of using all the tools, but once we did it was a breeze from there. Because of how much time this took us, we didn't have much time to work on or practice the presentation part of the project. Next time, I hope my group and I can manage our time better and plan out what steps we will complete each day. Another problem my group encountered was how much work and effort each person did everyday. Some days some people did more than others and other days the other people did more which caused not a very consistent process. Next time I would take what I learned and have my group give people certain tasks so we all contribute the same amount of work. Some good things I noticed that over the course of doing this project my group communicated and got along very well. This made the building and presentation process go mush smoother. Another thing I think my group and I did well was the oral presentation. When I spoke to people I presented the project and all the facts with confidence and a strong voice. From this project I learned so many new skills and techniques that I can carry on and use in life. Communicating with people, focusing on time management, doing equal amounts of work, and my speaking skills can help me with a lot of things in life and I'm so glad I get to take away knowledge like that from doing this project.