STEM MARIN
Rube Goldberg Machines 2017
By Heston Wilson
Collaborating with Gigi Zarrahparvar, and Zane Walas
The Question?
How can we accomplish a simple task in a incredibly complicated way?
This is the driving question behind a Rube Goldberg Machine. A Rube Goldberg Machine is something that does a simple task in a complicated way. Our group's Rube Goldberg Machine pours dog food into a bowl. It does this by utilizing a combination of simple machines.
Our Project
A description of what we did.
For this project my group decided to make a Rube Goldberg Machine that was Scooby Doo themed. In our projects the idea of theme and design were big ideas. When engineering we want to make something that is as aesthetically pleasing as it is functional. Our machine had to have 10 different steps and five unique simple machines. Also we needed a blueprint and construction log. For our final product we had a combination of 5 different simple machines to pour Scooby Snax into a bowl.
My reflection on this project.
As a group we worked well for the most part. The other members in my group often left to go talk to other kids and left me to do a lot of the work. Because of this it was hard to get things done on some days. Despite this my group finished on time. One of my high points was getting to work out the physics of the machine. Another of my peaks was managing to keep relationships with my group and get a high collaboration. Group work is always challenge for me and working well with my group is always nice. My low points were in the middle of the project. One of them was having trouble taking initiative with the building aspects of the project. Another was when my group was getting distracted and wouldn't help me. I needed to be more direct with my communication. Overall, I think this project was mostly positive and will be a good reference point for my future improvement.
Physics Concepts Utilized in this Project
Time:
The progress of events, time is measured in seconds.
Distance:
The amount of space between to points. Distance is a scalar quantity and is measured in meters. 1 meter is about the distance light travels in one 300 millionth of a second.
Change:
How much change happens in a variable or quantity. It is signified with a isoceles triangle in formulas.
Magic Physics Land:
In Conceptual Physics when we are working out physics problems we run into problems. In the real world there is air, also there is friction. In Magic Physics Land, there are none of these things. However, in Magic Physics Land, since there is no air resistance, raindrops can kill. Despite all of this Magic Physics Land is great for examples.
Mechanical Advantage:
Mechanical advantage is like a rating of how well machines work. A good machine makes it so you use less force. However, the work is still the same. In the real world, mechanical advantage is = to force output/force input. In Magic Physics Land mechanical advantage is distance input/distance output. The mechanical advantage of the first inclined plane in the machine is around 3.
Velocity:
Velocity is how much distance you cover in a certain amount of time. But, Velocity also has a given direction. For example, The car is traveling at 30m/s to the east. Velocity = distance/time. In our project in step 1 the marble rolls down the final part of the inclined plane at around 1.5m/s to the right.
Newtons First Law:
The natural tendency of an object is to maintain its state of motion unless acted upon by an external force. Objects at rest, stay at rest and objects in motion, stay in motion. In Magic Physics Land things go on forever if they are in motion. In the real world there are external forces like friction and air resistance that cause things to stop.
Acceleration due to Gravity:
The earth exerts a force of gravity on us. This is due to it's large mass. Since Force= mass * acceleration we know that there is acceleration involved. The force of gravity accelerates everything at 9.8 meters per second, per second. In the steps with inclined planes the object rolling down them is accelerated with the acceleration due to gravity divided by the mechanical advantage of the plane.
Force:
A push or pull on an object usually resulting from interaction with another object.
Force also has an implied direction. Force = Mass * Acceleration. Measured in newtons.
An example is, in step 2 the red truck hits cylinder with a force of 0.1 newtons.
Mass:
The amount of stuff in something. Measured in kilograms.
Energy:
The capability to do work. Measured in joules. 1 joule = a force of 1 newton over a distance of 1 meter. The red truck in the first step has around
Work:
A force applied over a distance. W=F*D Work uses joules or energy.
Kinetic Energy:
The energy an object has in motion. KE = 1/2 * mass * velocity * velocity.
Thermal Energy:
Energy lost to heat and friction. Generally, when an object has kinetic energy it loses some energy to this.
Potential energy: When an object has a potential to have kinetic energy it has potential energy. PE can come from elasticity or gravity. PE due to gravity = mass * gravity acceleration * height.
Principles of Design:
In this project we incorporated principles of design. In our machine we have balance, or a equal distribution of visual elements. Also we had contrast between our visual elements by putting dark wood against our lighter wood. Finally, we had rhythm by making our steps flow with regularity.