What physics and engineering concepts did we use?

Velocity

Commonly mistaken for speed, velocity is how fast an object is traveling in a given direction. All across our project was velocity. For example, in the first ramp, the marble rolled down with a velocity of 3.58 m/s*2. To find this we measured the distance of the ramp in meters. Next, we timed the amount of time it took the ball to roll from the top of the ramp to the bottom. To get the most precise time, we took a slow motion video that had a timer in it, as well as including the ball rolling down the ramp. This allowed us to see the exact time the ball started and stopped rolling down the ramp. After getting the time we divided distance over time to get the velocity.

Acceleration

Acceleration is the rate of change in velocity with respect to time. For example, many sports car companies pride themselves on how fast their cars can accelerate to 60 mph. In our case, we didn't want the ball to accelerate as fast as possible, but that doesn't mean that we did not discount the idea of acceleration as a whole. One example of when we used acceleration to make our project run is when the marble hits a toy car. We needed the marble to have a substantial amount of acceleration because it needed to be able to make the toy car move. To find acceleration we found the velocity then divided that by time. The acceleration of the marble was 1.78 m/s*2.

Force

Force is a push or pull on a specified object. For example, to push a chair you need to exert a certain force to make it move. In our project, one step in which we though force would be necessary to calculate was when the car hits a marble which sat upon a wedge. Force is important in this scenario because without it, the ball would not move. To find force you have to multiply mass by acceleration. To find the mass we measured the mass of the marble on a triple beam balance scale. To find acceleration of the car we measured the size of the ramp and took the time it took to roll down and it the car. Then, we multiplied the mass and acceleration and got a force of .008 newtons. the reason that the number is so small is because the marble was so light.

Work

Work is the amount of force needed to make an object be moved or displaced. Some people mix up force with work but they are completely separate things. One example that helps me differ work from force is if I push on a wall, I will be exerting lots of force but no work because the wall will not move. One example of work in our Rube Goldberg project was when the lever was pushed downwards to make the other side go up. This is an example of work because with a lighter marble the lever would not have moved, and therefore there would have not been any work.

Energy

For our Rube Goldberg projects we focused on two types of energy: kinetic and potential. Potential energy is a object's energy relative to the objects around it. In other words stored energy. One example of when we used potential energy is when the marble dropped into the pulley. The marble's potential energy made the cup go down and the sheets pull forward. This is important because without the cup going down the project would not work. Kinetic energy is an object's energy due to its motion. In our project kinetic energy played a large role because without it, the marble wouldn't roll, the lever wouldn't move, and the sheets would have never been pulled. One step in which we calculated kinetic energy is when the marble rolls down the wooden-step-blocks. To calculate it we weighed the marble on a triple beam balance and then we found the velocity of it rolling down the steps. After that we multiplied the mass by .5. Next, we squared the velocity. Finally, we multiplied those two numbers together and got the kinetic energy of .0036 joules.

Mechanical Advantage

Mechanical advantage is the ratio of the amount of force applied to a said machine to the amount produced. All 5 of our simple machines in our project had a mechanical advantage. Mechanical advantage was specifically important in the project because it allowed us to be able to do more complex tasks. For example, by making the ramps gradual rather than steep, it allowed us to add more steps, and it made it easier for viewers to watch every step. One machine in which we calculated mechanical advantage was on the long ramp in the middle of the board. The mechanical advantage was 11.25. This means that it reduced the ball's velocity 11.25 times. We calculated the length then we divided it by the height it dropped.

Simple machines

Ramp- Slows down the acceleration of the marble rather than free-fall by making the distance of height reduction over a larger space

Lever- This is a simple machine because since the fulcrum is closer to one side of the PVC pipe when a force is put on the shorter side, the larger side will inevitably go up further.

Screw/spiral- This is a simple machine because it slows down the acceleration of the marble by extending the distance it has to fall by making it do gradual circles

Wedge- This is a simple machine because it holds the marble in place with it’s triangular shape

Pulley- This is a simple machine because it changes the direction of force and makes it easier to lift a certain object.

Final blueprint

Construction log

Day 1- Developed theme and discussed steps for project

Day 2- Started blueprint

Day 3- Finished blueprint

Day 4- Painted board and found necessary supplies (marbles, cups, ramps, and PVC)

Day 5- Constructed first ramp and measured dimensions for lever

Day 6- Drilled lever to board and started construction for second lever

Day 7- Finished second lever and screw

Day 8- Drilled ramps to board, glued foam and cardboard wedge.

Day 9- Drilled wood barrier and painted ramps purple

Day 10- Drilled wooden blocks and cut block to represent dinner

Day 11- Drilled “dinner” block, drilled bed to board, and constructed pulley that attached to the sheets.

Day 12- Found energy transfers, elements of design and started drawing decorations

Day 13- continued decorations and started construction log and calculations

Day 14- Finished decorations, started blueprint and continued calculations

Day 15- Finished blueprint and calculations started presentation

Day 16- Practiced presentations

Reflection

This being the first STEM project of the year my group and I made many mistakes. But we didn't just notice our mistakes; we learned from them. One example of something that I as a team member could have done better was think of things from my teammates perspective. This is because I tend to only want to do my ideas, but I learned through this project that my other team members had some truly brilliant ideas. Another thing that I would like to work as a team member is to have better time management skills. Halfway through our working days we were only on step 3. I was getting stressed out, and worried that we were not going to be finished in time. If I had better time management skills, I think that we could have avoided all of the unnecessary stress.

One thing that I think my group and I did did well on was communicating when we were confused about something. One of the key reasons why we did so well on this project was because my group and I never stopped talking about why we where drilling a certain ramp, or using a different size nail, ect. This was crucial because it allowed us to work efficiently and diligently. Another aspect that my group and I did a great job on was dividing the work up evenly. One of my pet peeves in life is when I have to carry the load for my team. But in this group, we all did an even amount of work.

In conclusion, I think this was a very successful and exciting first group project. I learned about things that I am particularly good at and things that I can improve on. I really enjoyed the fact that I got to do hands-on science, while at the same time doing mathematics. I can carry my skills into my next group project and into college.