In this project we had to build a rube goldberg machine. A Rube Goldberg machine is a machine that consists of many extremely complex task that end up doing a simpler one. Our simple task was to water a plant it consisted of 12 steps, 9 different energy transfers, and 5 different simple machines. ( wedge, pulley, lever, inclined plane, and screw). This project was extremely fun to make and it helped me really further my understanding of Rube Goldbergs and physics in general.
Step by Step
1. A zip line with a 5 gram weight at a velocity of .44 meters per second 2. The 5 gram weight hits three marble and transfers 0.006 J of kinetic energy 3. A steel ball rolls down an incline plane at a velocity of .82 meters per second 4. It enters a funnel and drops out of it at 9.8 meters per second 5. The steel ball hits a lever which triggers a weight to drop off another lever, and the steel ball continues on another inclined plane 6. The big steel ball rolls down an inclined plane at 1,28 meters per second and two more roll down on the right ramp st .87 meters per second. 7. They both hits two cups on lever and dump diluted food coloring into a funnel that's connected to a screw, and transfers .13 J of kinetic energy. 8. Continues through the screw an into another funnel and out into a water wheels that water the plant.
Formulas
Force- (equation) Force= Mass x Acceleration. It is calculated in Newtons (N) Velocity- (equation) Velocity = the change in distance over the change in time. It is calculated in meters per second Acceleration- (equation) Acceleration = the change in velocity over the change in time. Calculated in meter per second Work- (equation) Work = Force x Distance. It is calculated in Joules (J) Kinetic Energy- (equation) KE = 1/2 x Mass x Velocity squared Potential Energy - (equation) PE= Mass x the acceleration of gravity x Height. It is measured in Joules (J) Mechanical Advantage - (equation) MA= effort divided by load. No unit of measurement
Reflection
Through out this Rube Goldberg project I learnt a lot. We went through many ups and downs during the building days but we were able to complete the project after all. First off, we started to realize through out the project what our group mates strengthes and weaknesses are. Rebecca and Brigid work really hard through out the project by drawing the schematics, doing the final calculations for each step, and really visualizing where all the parts needed to go for the machine to work. Hannah and I did more of the labor tasks such and drilling in pilot holes, hammering in pieces of wood, and really putting Rebecca and Brigid's thoughts and ideas to life. Next, I learned that I need to be more clear with my group mates about instructions. For example, I might say something to one of my group mates to get a drill, or fetch a material we need. The way I say it would make perfect sense to me, but just made the group mate have a very confused face. With all the things you learn there are mistakes that come with it. I feel learning from my mistakes really will help me on future projects and just in real life situations. For example, time management was a huge thing that I need to work on from here on out. The first few days were definitely our downfall. We overestimated our abilities and really slacked off those first few crucial days. Once we realized that we will really cut it close we started freaking out and had to pick up the pace a lot. Another thing that we made a mistake on was the confusing schematic. Are original schematic was extremely confusing and it was very hard to explain if someone asked. In the end we ended up barely using any of the ideas and the machine looked totally different than our original schematic. I feel that we will need to take more time on the original schematic so through out the project we can base it off the fundamentals of the original, and add a few ideas that could possibly make our project better through out it. All in all I really enjoyed doing the Rube Goldberg project as my first introduction to STEM and I cant wait for more in the future.