Rube Goldberg Project
The Task
My group was Andreas, Gabe, Rory, and I, was given the task to construct a Rube Goldberg machine in 10 days. Our theme for the Rube Goldberg machine was a Gumball Machine. We included a coin, gumball, and a colorful background in our project. The goals were to create a functional and visually appealing Rube Goldberg machine that consists of at least 10 steps, 4 different energy transfers, 5 unique simple machines and 3 elements of Design.
Final Product
We were happy with our final product. It consisted of 10 steps, with the final step. On the board, I helped with the pulley and the spiral and funnel. I also helped design the final ending cup. I did a lot of work on the slideshow. I created the 10 Step Slides and uploaded the images. I made the elements of design slide too. The main features of our machine were the funnel, pulley, and spiral.
Presentation
Construction Log, Video, Final Blueprint, on the slide.
Physics In Our Machine
Velocity (v) - The rate at which an object goes from point A to point B. This is calculated by dividing distance by time. Unit = meters per second (m/s).
Example: The Gumball gets spit out of the spiral into the final tube. V= 4
Acceleration (a) - The rate at which an object changes velocity. This is calculated by dividing velocity by time. Unit = meters per second squared (m/s^2).
Example: Gumball goes down ramp into funnel. A = 0.34
Acceleration due to Gravity (g) - The rate at which an object changes velocity due to gravity. It is always 9.8m/s^2.
Example - The gumball falling from the funnel which would free fall would accelerate at 9.8m/s^2.
Force (F) - The push or pull on an object. This is calculated by multiplying mass by acceleration. Unit = newtons (N).
Example: 2N of force is needed to move the lever.
Potential Energy (PE) - The amount of energy in an object at rest. This is calculated by multiplying mass, height, and acceleration. Unit = joules (J).
Example: Coin hitting the domino PE= 0.875
Kinetic Energy (KE) - The amount of energy in an object in motion. This is calculated by multiplying half of the mass to the velocity squared (1/2mv^2).Unit = joules (J).
Example: The gumball goes thru the funnel KE = 0.03.
Energy Transfer - The transition from one type of energy to another.
Example: The coin hits the domino which hits the marble
Mechanical Advantage - There are two types of mechanical advantage: ideal and real. Ideal is how much further you push using a tool, and real is how much easier (less Force) a tool makes something. There is no unit.
Example: The pulley has a MA of 1.
Simple Machine - A basic device that makes an objective easier. There are 6 types: lever, wedge, screw, wheel and axle, pulley, and inclined plane.
Example: The gumball falls into the cup on the pulley.