Rube Goldberg machine: a device that is deliberately over engineered in order to pursue a simple task that, usually, is set off by a chain reaction.
My group created a Rube Goldberg machine we call "The Camera Machine". We worked on "The Camera Machine" for about six weeks and 25 class hours. During those very stressful hours we tried to accomplish taking a picture with a polaroid camera. In the end result, our action only worked one time out of about eleven attempts. It can be said that our project was very inconsistant. Many of the reasons why our project was inconsistant was because of our lack of time efficiency. Even though we had some difficulties with the project and with different personalities in the group, we worked most of it out.
Steps and Calculations
Step 1
A marble was initiated with a class 2 lever. The lever did 3.25 Joules of work.
Step 2
The first marble rolled down an inclined plane and into a cup with a hole in the bottom allowing the ball to drop. The velocity of the marble was 98 meters per second.
Step 3
Once the marble drops from the cup, it rolls down an inclined plane. The mechanical advantage of the inclined plane is 2.83.
Step 4
The marble then rolls into a cup attatched to a pulley system with a wedge on the other end. The mechanical advantage of the pulley is 1.
Step 5
A golfball is held in place by a wedge and once the pulley system is activated the wedge will lift. The force of the wedge is 0.0475 Newtons.
Step 6
The golfball rolls down another inclined plane knocking over a cup of water. The acceleration of the golfball is 1.11 meters per second squared.
Step 7
The water from the cup flows down a screw into a cup attached to a pulley system.
Step 8
The cup pulls on the sting which activates the second pulley system lifting popsicle sticks. The mechanical advantage of the pulley system is 3.
Step 9
The popsicle sticks push a pinwheel lever that releases a marble. The mechanical advantage of the pinwheel is 3.
Step 10
The marble drops, knocking over dominoes. The potential energy of the marble is 0.0048 Joules.
Step 11
The marbles push a spring powered car which pushes a button on the camera, taking a picture. The velocity of the spring powered car is 1.27 meters per second.
We came across many obstacles like our first pulley system. Because of the pulley's distance from the incline plane, the marble rolling down couldn't land inside of the cup. Also, the friction from the other end of the pulley on the wood was too much for the weights in the cup to overcome. My group spend about three class days of precious time working on this pulley when it could have been easily engineered by adding some sort of lubrication or smooth surface behind the pulley system and moving the whole system closer to the incline plane.
Another obstacle that came in our way was the actual action of pressing the button for the camera. We tried making a track for the spring powered car to follow directly to the button but the car was too out of control to follow the track. When the car did follow the track, it never had enough force to push the button. To this day I am still not sure how we could have fixed the issue without change our end result.
Most of the people in my group communicated very well with each other. There was leadership, trust, and focus. This is what was successful in our project. Having this sense that the person you told what to do was going to do what you said without argument and came back with even better ideas made it so much easier to come up new and creative ideas.
Physically, it became much easier to use the tools overtime. I learned how to change drill bits and use a power saw. Those are some things that I learned about myself.
My group created a Rube Goldberg machine we call "The Camera Machine". We worked on "The Camera Machine" for about six weeks and 25 class hours. During those very stressful hours we tried to accomplish taking a picture with a polaroid camera. In the end result, our action only worked one time out of about eleven attempts. It can be said that our project was very inconsistant. Many of the reasons why our project was inconsistant was because of our lack of time efficiency. Even though we had some difficulties with the project and with different personalities in the group, we worked most of it out.
Steps and Calculations
Step 1
A marble was initiated with a class 2 lever. The lever did 3.25 Joules of work.
Step 2
The first marble rolled down an inclined plane and into a cup with a hole in the bottom allowing the ball to drop. The velocity of the marble was 98 meters per second.
Step 3
Once the marble drops from the cup, it rolls down an inclined plane. The mechanical advantage of the inclined plane is 2.83.
Step 4
The marble then rolls into a cup attatched to a pulley system with a wedge on the other end. The mechanical advantage of the pulley is 1.
Step 5
A golfball is held in place by a wedge and once the pulley system is activated the wedge will lift. The force of the wedge is 0.0475 Newtons.
Step 6
The golfball rolls down another inclined plane knocking over a cup of water. The acceleration of the golfball is 1.11 meters per second squared.
Step 7
The water from the cup flows down a screw into a cup attached to a pulley system.
Step 8
The cup pulls on the sting which activates the second pulley system lifting popsicle sticks. The mechanical advantage of the pulley system is 3.
Step 9
The popsicle sticks push a pinwheel lever that releases a marble. The mechanical advantage of the pinwheel is 3.
Step 10
The marble drops, knocking over dominoes. The potential energy of the marble is 0.0048 Joules.
Step 11
The marbles push a spring powered car which pushes a button on the camera, taking a picture. The velocity of the spring powered car is 1.27 meters per second.
We came across many obstacles like our first pulley system. Because of the pulley's distance from the incline plane, the marble rolling down couldn't land inside of the cup. Also, the friction from the other end of the pulley on the wood was too much for the weights in the cup to overcome. My group spend about three class days of precious time working on this pulley when it could have been easily engineered by adding some sort of lubrication or smooth surface behind the pulley system and moving the whole system closer to the incline plane.
Another obstacle that came in our way was the actual action of pressing the button for the camera. We tried making a track for the spring powered car to follow directly to the button but the car was too out of control to follow the track. When the car did follow the track, it never had enough force to push the button. To this day I am still not sure how we could have fixed the issue without change our end result.
Most of the people in my group communicated very well with each other. There was leadership, trust, and focus. This is what was successful in our project. Having this sense that the person you told what to do was going to do what you said without argument and came back with even better ideas made it so much easier to come up new and creative ideas.
Physically, it became much easier to use the tools overtime. I learned how to change drill bits and use a power saw. Those are some things that I learned about myself.
Click the box for a definition of each word.