Rube Goldberg Machine
What is a Rube Goldberg Machine?
A Rube Goldberg Machine is a machine that was built purposely to complete a task in a very complicated way. The machine uses a chain reaction to complete the task. The machine was named after a famous cartoonist and visionary, Reuben Goldberg. A well-known machine that was created is The Orange Squeezing Machine. Over the course of 5 weeks we were instructed to build and present a Rube Goldberg machine. We were put into groups of 4 and within our group we had to do lots of calculations, planning, construction, etc. Here's how the whole process went...
The Manhattan Project
This was the overall result of our machine, but these are all the components/steps we completed to get here ⬇️
Process
When I first found out my group and I had to build a Rube Goldberg machine i was very worried because the machine had many hard and complex steps to it, but after lots of planning and brainstorming it didn't seem to bad. To start off this project we had to brainstorm lots of ideas for our theme, but ultimately decided on The Manhattan Project. From then on we came up with many ideas for the multiple steps and how to incorporate 5 simple machines in our project. After we created our first blue print, we then started the building process. All the building/construction took place in the maker's space. The whole goal of our project was for the ball to make the weighted flag stand up. This associates with our theme because it represents Japan surrendering. After our physical project was done we began doing calculations for each step and ultimately incorporated all the information into our slide show. (shown above)
Construction Log
Day 1: Got our slab of 4x4 wood and began transferring our blueprint onto it. We also started working on the individual components, including the first ramp, and finding the correct materials needed.
Day 2: We attached our first ramp, ensuring that all other components would be compatible. We began to make micro-adjustments to our measurements as we later discovered that the board was not exactly 4x4.
Day 3: Began to find materials for our pipe, which would later turn into a type of inclined plane. We found multiple sizes and began attaching them to the board using zip ties.
Day 4: We began working on our pulley system. We attached four more ramps and completed our lever system using a chunk of plywood and a screw. We found multiple marbles needed to roll down our pipe and our screw, as well as a few hot wheel tracks.
Day 5: We mainly focused on our hot wheel tracks and launchers, making adjustments to ensure our first step would be functional. We also attached a few more ramps and ensured they were sturdy.
Day 6: We completed the hot wheel tracks and began looking for materials to build a flag. We decided to make the Japanese flag because it matched our theme.
Day 7: We began finalizing our metal tube, making tweaks to ensure the marble rolled smoothly through it. We also drilled holes for our screw system.
Day 8: We found the appropriate materials for our screw and attached it to our board.
Day 9: We worked on our final step, attaching the ramp and flag to the board. We also worked on reinforcing the entire structure by adding extra plywood where needed.
Day 10: We began working on our presentations by creating our slide show and making tweaks to our machine
Day 11: We continued working on our presentation by creating our introduction slide and fixing our pulley system.
Day 12: Continued to work on our presentation by doing the additional introduction slides needed.
Day 13: Completed our energy transfers, points of emphasis, and description of our thirteen steps. We made a few safety modifications to our machine.
Blueprints
First Blueprint
Final Blueprint
Calculations & Major Concepts
Gravitational Potential Energy: Energy an object has due to its height or position at a gravitational field. (PE₉=mgΔh)
For step 11 of our machine, we found the Gravitational Potential energy of the golf ball falling into the funnel. It was 0.035 Joules.
Kinetic Energy: The energy due to motion. (KE=1/2 mv²)
For step 12 of our machine, we found the kinetic energy of the ball rolling down the inclined plane. The kinetic energy was 0.02 Joules.
Work: The energy put into something. (W=Fd, W=ΔKE)
For step 10 of our machine, we determined the work from the dominoes hitting the golf-ball, which was 0.003 Joules.
Mechanical Advantage: How much further you have to push the load when using a tool. (MAideal = deffort/dload)
In step 1 of our machine, we found the mechanical advantage of the pulley hitting the hot wheel launcher, which was 2 which means that the pulley makes it 2 times easier.
Acceleration: The rate of change of velocity. (a=Δv / Δt)
(not calculated in our project).
Velocity: The rate of distance covered in a direction. (v= Δt / Δd)
For step 8 of our project, we determined the velocity of the ball rolling down the ramp and falling onto the inclined plane. It was 0.54 m/s.
Force: To push or pull on an object to change its motion. (F=ma)
For step 3 of our machine, we found the force involved in the hot wheel shooting down the track and hitting the wheel and axle. It was 0.37 newtons.
Reflection
During this project I learned multiple new things about myself. I figured out that I do better when i'm given a task to complete rather than finding something to do myself. For example when one of my group members gave me a task to complete, like cutting a piece of wood or screwing in something, I would do it. I also learned that speaking up if i don't like something is okay. Like when a group member drilled something wrong instead of ignoring it, I took it upon myself to let them know and they didn't end up being upset, but instead fixed it. Two things I could have done better during this project was to contribute more to my group instead of wandering off sometimes and talking to other people from other groups. Another thing is to try to stay on task more often. Like throughout this project i would talk about things not related to it and get other group members distracted.