A+
Reflections
The very first project we completed in STEM was the Rube Goldberg machine. Rube Goldberg was a famous cartoonist known for drawing complex devices to perform the simplest of tasks, such as popping a balloon or pressing a button. My group (Mackenzie Elmhirst, Sophia Galleguillos, and Quinton Graybeal) and I decided we wanted to stamp an "A+" on a paper. The first step was to draw a schematic, which is a fancy word for a blueprint. The initial schematic looked slightly different from the final one because of time constraints as well as some other problems. Our project contained 14 steps and had 12 energy transfers. The machine contained five simple machines. They were the screw, lever, inclined plane, wedge, and pulley. The project took us a total of 9 days to complete. We definitely had some problems with our project. A reoccurring problem was the ball rolling off of the ramps. We fixed those problems easily but it was very time consuming. We had some problems with the lever and making it balance at the perfect angle. Our group also had a lot of challenges with the screw. We drilled four holes into our board for the tube but, that ended up being too tight and the ball wouldn't roll through it. Then we cut the tube in half. That was not the smartest decision so we ended up taping it back together. Eventually, we found a solution that worked, so we continued building. We also ran into many obstacles when our project was complete. We had a hard time making our project work from beginning to end. It felt like each time we tested the machine a new problem that had never happened before would occur. Eventually we figured everything out and our project worked successfully.
During this project we all learned a lot about ourselves. Personally, this was the first time I used any large power tool, like a saw or a big drill. This was a knew experience, but it will be a very useful skill both in STEM and in life. Another thing I think I improved on was leadership. With this project I really stepped up and tried to be involved as much as I could. Leadership is also a great skill to have, and I'm glad that I improved. Throughout this project my group and I really learned the importance of time management. We were working on the project until the last minute. If we all planned out our timing for everything, we might have had some time to add some details and make our project look better. Another thing I think I could improve on is being more positive. I generally struggle when it comes to being positive, and sometimes it really showed, especially when I was stressed out or frustrated. Overall, this project was fun and it was a great experience and I think that I learned a lot more about myself and my classmates.
The very first project we completed in STEM was the Rube Goldberg machine. Rube Goldberg was a famous cartoonist known for drawing complex devices to perform the simplest of tasks, such as popping a balloon or pressing a button. My group (Mackenzie Elmhirst, Sophia Galleguillos, and Quinton Graybeal) and I decided we wanted to stamp an "A+" on a paper. The first step was to draw a schematic, which is a fancy word for a blueprint. The initial schematic looked slightly different from the final one because of time constraints as well as some other problems. Our project contained 14 steps and had 12 energy transfers. The machine contained five simple machines. They were the screw, lever, inclined plane, wedge, and pulley. The project took us a total of 9 days to complete. We definitely had some problems with our project. A reoccurring problem was the ball rolling off of the ramps. We fixed those problems easily but it was very time consuming. We had some problems with the lever and making it balance at the perfect angle. Our group also had a lot of challenges with the screw. We drilled four holes into our board for the tube but, that ended up being too tight and the ball wouldn't roll through it. Then we cut the tube in half. That was not the smartest decision so we ended up taping it back together. Eventually, we found a solution that worked, so we continued building. We also ran into many obstacles when our project was complete. We had a hard time making our project work from beginning to end. It felt like each time we tested the machine a new problem that had never happened before would occur. Eventually we figured everything out and our project worked successfully.
During this project we all learned a lot about ourselves. Personally, this was the first time I used any large power tool, like a saw or a big drill. This was a knew experience, but it will be a very useful skill both in STEM and in life. Another thing I think I improved on was leadership. With this project I really stepped up and tried to be involved as much as I could. Leadership is also a great skill to have, and I'm glad that I improved. Throughout this project my group and I really learned the importance of time management. We were working on the project until the last minute. If we all planned out our timing for everything, we might have had some time to add some details and make our project look better. Another thing I think I could improve on is being more positive. I generally struggle when it comes to being positive, and sometimes it really showed, especially when I was stressed out or frustrated. Overall, this project was fun and it was a great experience and I think that I learned a lot more about myself and my classmates.
Here is a video of our machine:
Physics of our Project
Potential Energy-energy an object has due to its position at a height or in a gravitational field. The formula is PEg=mgh (Potential Energy=mass x acceleration due to gravity x height)
Kinetic Energy- energy due to motion. The kinetic energy transferred to the marble is 0.196J (joules)
Work- amount of energy put into something. The formula is W=Fd (Work=force x distance). The work of the marble is 0.017J
Mechanical Advantage- how much easier a tool makes something. The mechanical advantage of the pulley is 1
Force- a force is a push or a pull. To calculate force, you use the formula F=ma or force=mass x acceleration
We calculated the force of the marble rolling through the screw which was 0.46N
Velocity- the rate of distance covered in a direction. Velocity=distance/time. The velocity of the marble was 0.44 m/s
Acceleration- rate of change of velocity(speeding up or slowing down)
Acceleration due to gravity- gravity is a force between two objects and it is in proportion to their masses and inverse to the distance between them. Acceleration due to gravity(g or Ag) is 9.8 m/s^2
Mass- the amount of matter something has.
Potential Energy-energy an object has due to its position at a height or in a gravitational field. The formula is PEg=mgh (Potential Energy=mass x acceleration due to gravity x height)
Kinetic Energy- energy due to motion. The kinetic energy transferred to the marble is 0.196J (joules)
Work- amount of energy put into something. The formula is W=Fd (Work=force x distance). The work of the marble is 0.017J
Mechanical Advantage- how much easier a tool makes something. The mechanical advantage of the pulley is 1
Force- a force is a push or a pull. To calculate force, you use the formula F=ma or force=mass x acceleration
We calculated the force of the marble rolling through the screw which was 0.46N
Velocity- the rate of distance covered in a direction. Velocity=distance/time. The velocity of the marble was 0.44 m/s
Acceleration- rate of change of velocity(speeding up or slowing down)
Acceleration due to gravity- gravity is a force between two objects and it is in proportion to their masses and inverse to the distance between them. Acceleration due to gravity(g or Ag) is 9.8 m/s^2
Mass- the amount of matter something has.
Calculations
Potential Energy of the Zipline
PEg=mgh
PEg=0.2kg(9.8 m/s²)(0.1m)
PEg=0.196 J
Kinetic Energy Transferred to the Marble
KE=PE
KE=0.196 J
Work of Marble moving down Fourth Ramp
W=Fd
W=0.052m/s(0.33m)
W=.017 J
Mechanical Advantage of Pulley
1 pulley
MA=1
Force of Marble Moving through Screw
F=ma
F=0.2m(2.29m/s)
F=0.46 N
Velocity of Marble Down Last Ramp
V=d/t
V=1.12192s/2.8
V=0.44 m/s
Potential Energy of the Zipline
PEg=mgh
PEg=0.2kg(9.8 m/s²)(0.1m)
PEg=0.196 J
Kinetic Energy Transferred to the Marble
KE=PE
KE=0.196 J
Work of Marble moving down Fourth Ramp
W=Fd
W=0.052m/s(0.33m)
W=.017 J
Mechanical Advantage of Pulley
1 pulley
MA=1
Force of Marble Moving through Screw
F=ma
F=0.2m(2.29m/s)
F=0.46 N
Velocity of Marble Down Last Ramp
V=d/t
V=1.12192s/2.8
V=0.44 m/s
Steps
1. A mass travels down a zipline then hits a small ball
2. The ball lands on a ramp and travels down it
3, 4, & 5. The ball rolls down a series of inclined planes
6. The ball falls into a pulley and the other end of the pulley swings up
7. The pulley tips over a lever holding a ball
8 & 9. The ball rolls down two more inclined planes
10. The ball rolls through a screw
11 & 12. The ball rolls down another two inclined planes
13. The ball hits the car which rolls down the rest of the ramp
14. The car hits the knife, which swings down and cuts the string, releasing the mass that falls on the stamp
1. A mass travels down a zipline then hits a small ball
2. The ball lands on a ramp and travels down it
3, 4, & 5. The ball rolls down a series of inclined planes
6. The ball falls into a pulley and the other end of the pulley swings up
7. The pulley tips over a lever holding a ball
8 & 9. The ball rolls down two more inclined planes
10. The ball rolls through a screw
11 & 12. The ball rolls down another two inclined planes
13. The ball hits the car which rolls down the rest of the ramp
14. The car hits the knife, which swings down and cuts the string, releasing the mass that falls on the stamp
Building Log
Day 1
On the first day of building, we attached two 2ft. x 4ft. pieces of wood together as the base for our machine.
Day 2
On the second building day, we build the zipline and the first ramp.
Day 3
On the third day of building,we built the second and third ramps as well as the pulley
Days 4, 5 & 6
During these days, we built the lever. We had a slight problem keeping the lever balanced so we added another screw to keep it from falling. We also began attempting to attach our screw(the tube). We started by drilling 4 holes into our board but that idea wasn't working because the marble kept getting stuck inside the tube. So we tried cutting the tube in half. That idea didn't work either, so we decided to tape it back together.
Day 7
By this time, we decided to try a different method by using a wooden pole to support the tube. This idea finally worked, so we built the remaining two ramps.
Days 8 & 9
On these days, we attached the final ramp and began working on our end product. This part of the process went smoothly, but soon other problems presented themselves. We had a lot of trouble getting our machine to fully function, so we spent the last few days perfecting the machine.
Day 1
On the first day of building, we attached two 2ft. x 4ft. pieces of wood together as the base for our machine.
Day 2
On the second building day, we build the zipline and the first ramp.
Day 3
On the third day of building,we built the second and third ramps as well as the pulley
Days 4, 5 & 6
During these days, we built the lever. We had a slight problem keeping the lever balanced so we added another screw to keep it from falling. We also began attempting to attach our screw(the tube). We started by drilling 4 holes into our board but that idea wasn't working because the marble kept getting stuck inside the tube. So we tried cutting the tube in half. That idea didn't work either, so we decided to tape it back together.
Day 7
By this time, we decided to try a different method by using a wooden pole to support the tube. This idea finally worked, so we built the remaining two ramps.
Days 8 & 9
On these days, we attached the final ramp and began working on our end product. This part of the process went smoothly, but soon other problems presented themselves. We had a lot of trouble getting our machine to fully function, so we spent the last few days perfecting the machine.