Rube Goldberg Machine
All of the steps and their calculations are in the presentation above.
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For the past month, my group and I have been constructing a Rube Goldberg Machine for our first Stem project. If you don't know, a Rube Goldberg Machine is a complicated device that is over-engineered to complete a simple task. Some simple tasks may include mixing hot cocoa mix into water or pressing a button. The task we we chose was to spill paint onto a canvas. The end result was abstract art. To complete the simple task, six simple machines are used: levers, pulleys, inclined planes, wedges, wheels and axles, and screws.
The first three days constructing our machine were spent creating our schematic, a diagram, and bringing the supplies we anticipated needing. Within the next nine days we started to build or machine. The first thing we attached was an inclined plane, which we used as a ramp. The second thing we attached/built was a pulley system. Then we nailed in a block of wood to support a lever system. We then attached a tube that was held to the board by screws that were not completely flush. The next attachment was a block of wood that would support a removable lever. The next step was to attach a wheel and axle. This process was tedious because we had to make the wheel, find the correct mass that would spin it, and find the correct size of axle. The step after the wheel and axle was attaching a tube. To do this, we had to drill in a piece of wood for support, and find the correct size of tube. After accomplishing the tube, we had to create pieces of wood that would become dominoes. These wooden dominoes, after creation, were strategically placed so that they would topple over onto each other and then topple over onto a cup of paint. The cup filled with paint would then fall onto an easel with a canvas on it. The end result would be abstract art. |
Definitions
Wedge: Material having one thick end and tapering to a thin edge, that is driven between two objects or parts of an object to secure or separate them. This was the first machine we calculated.
Inclined Plane: Flat supporting surface tilted at an angle, with one end higher than the other. This is the second machine, which calculations are PEg=mghPEg= 0.014 kg (9.8 m/s2) (0.0127m)PEg= 0.0017J
Pulley: A wheel on an axle or shaft that is designed to support movement and change of direction of a cable or belt along its circumference. Its calculations are MA = number of threads attached to load MA=1F=ma and F= .014 kg (9.8 m/s2) F=0.1372
Levers: Beam or rigid rod pivoted at a fixed hinge, or fulcrum, kind a like a seesaw. The first lever's calculations are Delta PE = mgh KE = 0.009 kg (9.8m/s2)(0.0381m) KE = 0.003 J. The second lever's calculations are d effort/ d load MA ideal=.1481 m/.2075 m MA ideal= .71 MAS.
Wheel and Axle: The wheel is a circular object that revolves on an axle and is fixed below a vehicle or other object to enable it to move easily over the ground. An axle is a a rod or spindle passing through the center of a wheel. Its calculations on the machine are W=Fd Foosball’’s Mass: 0.0263kg W= .2577N (.0127m) and F=ma W= .0033 J F= .0263kg (9.8m/s2) F=.2577N.
Screw: A screw is an inclined plane wrapped around a pole which holds things together or lifts materials. (We didn't use a screw in our project).
Potential Energy- The energy an object has relative to its position to another platform or the ground.
Mechanical Advantage- How much easier a machine makes anything, or how much longer you have to push something using a tool.
Force- A push or pull on an object. In the third step of our machine.
Kinetic Energy- The energy an object has due to motion.
Momentum- The tendency of a moving object to keep moving.
Work- The amount of energy put into something.
Velocity- The rate of covered distance over time.
Energy Transfers- This involves the conversion of potential energy to kinetic energy, the transfer of momentum between two objects, and the change to thermal energy, generating heat or sound because of friction.
Flush: A screw bolt whose head is countersunk, so as to be flush with a surface
Reflection
The Rube Goldberg Machine was a tedious and marvelous project to complete. I learned so much. I learned how to calculate mechanical advantages. The more mechanical advantage a machine has, the easier the work is going to be. As well as physics, I learned some things about myself. I learned that I empathize with others, as well as work hard. I also learned that I struggle with leadership. I loved this project and completing it with my group.
Wedge: Material having one thick end and tapering to a thin edge, that is driven between two objects or parts of an object to secure or separate them. This was the first machine we calculated.
Inclined Plane: Flat supporting surface tilted at an angle, with one end higher than the other. This is the second machine, which calculations are PEg=mghPEg= 0.014 kg (9.8 m/s2) (0.0127m)PEg= 0.0017J
Pulley: A wheel on an axle or shaft that is designed to support movement and change of direction of a cable or belt along its circumference. Its calculations are MA = number of threads attached to load MA=1F=ma and F= .014 kg (9.8 m/s2) F=0.1372
Levers: Beam or rigid rod pivoted at a fixed hinge, or fulcrum, kind a like a seesaw. The first lever's calculations are Delta PE = mgh KE = 0.009 kg (9.8m/s2)(0.0381m) KE = 0.003 J. The second lever's calculations are d effort/ d load MA ideal=.1481 m/.2075 m MA ideal= .71 MAS.
Wheel and Axle: The wheel is a circular object that revolves on an axle and is fixed below a vehicle or other object to enable it to move easily over the ground. An axle is a a rod or spindle passing through the center of a wheel. Its calculations on the machine are W=Fd Foosball’’s Mass: 0.0263kg W= .2577N (.0127m) and F=ma W= .0033 J F= .0263kg (9.8m/s2) F=.2577N.
Screw: A screw is an inclined plane wrapped around a pole which holds things together or lifts materials. (We didn't use a screw in our project).
Potential Energy- The energy an object has relative to its position to another platform or the ground.
Mechanical Advantage- How much easier a machine makes anything, or how much longer you have to push something using a tool.
Force- A push or pull on an object. In the third step of our machine.
Kinetic Energy- The energy an object has due to motion.
Momentum- The tendency of a moving object to keep moving.
Work- The amount of energy put into something.
Velocity- The rate of covered distance over time.
Energy Transfers- This involves the conversion of potential energy to kinetic energy, the transfer of momentum between two objects, and the change to thermal energy, generating heat or sound because of friction.
Flush: A screw bolt whose head is countersunk, so as to be flush with a surface
Reflection
The Rube Goldberg Machine was a tedious and marvelous project to complete. I learned so much. I learned how to calculate mechanical advantages. The more mechanical advantage a machine has, the easier the work is going to be. As well as physics, I learned some things about myself. I learned that I empathize with others, as well as work hard. I also learned that I struggle with leadership. I loved this project and completing it with my group.