Rube Goldberg Machine:
About Rube Goldberg:
Rube Goldberg was born on July 4, 1883 in San Francisco, California. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in engineering, and worked as an engineer for the San Francisco Water and Sewers Department. Soon after, Goldberg moved to New York to pursue his stronger passion for cartoon-writing. He began working for the Evening Mail newspaper, and within a short period of time, his cartoons had become popular and acclaimed. In one of his cartoons, Goldberg introduced the idea of using multiple roundabout ways to complete a simple task, and the Rube Goldberg Machine was born. To this day, Goldberg's innovative thoughts are an inspiration to other scientists and engineers.
Rube Goldberg was born on July 4, 1883 in San Francisco, California. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in engineering, and worked as an engineer for the San Francisco Water and Sewers Department. Soon after, Goldberg moved to New York to pursue his stronger passion for cartoon-writing. He began working for the Evening Mail newspaper, and within a short period of time, his cartoons had become popular and acclaimed. In one of his cartoons, Goldberg introduced the idea of using multiple roundabout ways to complete a simple task, and the Rube Goldberg Machine was born. To this day, Goldberg's innovative thoughts are an inspiration to other scientists and engineers.
Project Outline:
The objective of building our Rube Goldberg's is to demonstrate our understanding of simple machines and energy transfers in a fun, whimsical fashion. Our machines have to meet several standards as well. They include:
1. Having at least five simple machines (lever, pulley, wedge, screw, wheel and axle, inclined plane)
2. Having at least four energy transfers (potential energy to kinetic energy)
3. Having a minimum of ten discreet steps
4. Successful construction/testing of the project
5. Presentation (project history, schematic diagram, explanations and calculations of each step)
Construction Log, Problems & Solutions:
Our group started by sitting down at the table and brainstorming different ideas. We all agreed to staple pieces of paper as the final goal, and drew a neat rough draft of the project, even going so far as to create a digital blueprint. Everything was going so smoothly—that is, until the construction began and we hit our first bumps.
Part of our project needed to be elevated in order to work, so we decided to cut our plywood board into two halves, making a two-story contraption. We used four blocks of wood as pillars to hold the structure up, and what we had as a result was: a table. Unfortunately, the wood that we used had insane knots in them. While we were nailing our contraption together, parts of wood simply popped off, and we had to resort to bent nails, half sticking out, and wood glue.
On the top level, we had an inclined plane, a class one lever, and a class two lever with a marble. It took us some time to cut these out. Then, in order to stabilize and keep the levers in place, we carved grooves for where the fulcrum would be. For extra measure, we glued blocks of wood around the levers so they wouldn't shift too drastically when they were activated during the project.
The bottom level included a metal screw, another makeshift inclined plane (made of two Styrofoam cups glued together), dominoes, a wedge, and a dual pulley system. The screw was one of the most difficult parts of our project. The marble had to fall in exactly the right place in order to roll down, and the spacing of the rungs had to be perfect. Although it was a frustrating, tinkering process, our group finally managed to figure out how to guide the marble correctly. The dominoes were also difficult because they didn't have exert much force. They had to be placed in exactly the right angle in order to knock down the heavier golf ball. This then brings us to another pitfall of our experiment: getting the golf ball to hit the scissors. It was a mass of trial-and-error before we finally got the golf ball to hit the scissors accurately. Another problem was the string type that we used. At first, we used average string that frayed too quickly against the scissor blades; before the marble had even descended the screw, the string would cut itself. We tinkered with different types until we found the perfect spool of string.
The only problem with our dual-pulley was that the paper wouldn't raise entirely. To solve that, we moved the second pulley to the outer edge of the project, so that it could fall all the way down, past the actual project's base and to the floor. That way, the extra distance downward would definitely raise the paper up to its full height. Overall, this part of the project was extremely reliable.
Last but not least, we ran into problems with aesthetics. Our project looked extremely dull and unfurnished in its earlier stages. The wood was patchy, and there were pencil markings where we had done calculations. In order to fix this, we painted our project green and gold (our high school colors -- go San Marin!). Any unnecessary duct tape was removed, the shoe box that held the dominoes was wrapped in crisp white paper, and I added bright, professional tabs that were labeled with steps, energy transfers, and simple machines so that the public would have an easier time following the machine.
Our Rube Goldberg - Detailed Narrative:
A tennis ball would roll down the first inclined plane (a binder) and hit the first lever, which would raise the second lever. The previously stationary marble would then roll down that lever and into a hole that we'd previously drilled through the wood. This marble would then fall through the hole, and roll down a metal screw. At the end of the screw, the marble would roll through a makeshift inclined plane (Styrofoam cups). The marble would roll through this, and then hit the dominoes. The dominoes would topple, and then hit a golf ball situated at the far end of an elevated ruler, which acted as a track on top of a shoe box. This ruler hung over the scissors so that the golf ball would fall and hit the scissor's handle, causing the blades to come together and cut the string in between. The string, attached to a first pulley, would release a weight onto the stapler and staple the paper. Additionally, that string was attached to a second pulley that would then raise the paper as a grand finale.
The objective of building our Rube Goldberg's is to demonstrate our understanding of simple machines and energy transfers in a fun, whimsical fashion. Our machines have to meet several standards as well. They include:
1. Having at least five simple machines (lever, pulley, wedge, screw, wheel and axle, inclined plane)
2. Having at least four energy transfers (potential energy to kinetic energy)
3. Having a minimum of ten discreet steps
4. Successful construction/testing of the project
5. Presentation (project history, schematic diagram, explanations and calculations of each step)
Construction Log, Problems & Solutions:
Our group started by sitting down at the table and brainstorming different ideas. We all agreed to staple pieces of paper as the final goal, and drew a neat rough draft of the project, even going so far as to create a digital blueprint. Everything was going so smoothly—that is, until the construction began and we hit our first bumps.
Part of our project needed to be elevated in order to work, so we decided to cut our plywood board into two halves, making a two-story contraption. We used four blocks of wood as pillars to hold the structure up, and what we had as a result was: a table. Unfortunately, the wood that we used had insane knots in them. While we were nailing our contraption together, parts of wood simply popped off, and we had to resort to bent nails, half sticking out, and wood glue.
On the top level, we had an inclined plane, a class one lever, and a class two lever with a marble. It took us some time to cut these out. Then, in order to stabilize and keep the levers in place, we carved grooves for where the fulcrum would be. For extra measure, we glued blocks of wood around the levers so they wouldn't shift too drastically when they were activated during the project.
The bottom level included a metal screw, another makeshift inclined plane (made of two Styrofoam cups glued together), dominoes, a wedge, and a dual pulley system. The screw was one of the most difficult parts of our project. The marble had to fall in exactly the right place in order to roll down, and the spacing of the rungs had to be perfect. Although it was a frustrating, tinkering process, our group finally managed to figure out how to guide the marble correctly. The dominoes were also difficult because they didn't have exert much force. They had to be placed in exactly the right angle in order to knock down the heavier golf ball. This then brings us to another pitfall of our experiment: getting the golf ball to hit the scissors. It was a mass of trial-and-error before we finally got the golf ball to hit the scissors accurately. Another problem was the string type that we used. At first, we used average string that frayed too quickly against the scissor blades; before the marble had even descended the screw, the string would cut itself. We tinkered with different types until we found the perfect spool of string.
The only problem with our dual-pulley was that the paper wouldn't raise entirely. To solve that, we moved the second pulley to the outer edge of the project, so that it could fall all the way down, past the actual project's base and to the floor. That way, the extra distance downward would definitely raise the paper up to its full height. Overall, this part of the project was extremely reliable.
Last but not least, we ran into problems with aesthetics. Our project looked extremely dull and unfurnished in its earlier stages. The wood was patchy, and there were pencil markings where we had done calculations. In order to fix this, we painted our project green and gold (our high school colors -- go San Marin!). Any unnecessary duct tape was removed, the shoe box that held the dominoes was wrapped in crisp white paper, and I added bright, professional tabs that were labeled with steps, energy transfers, and simple machines so that the public would have an easier time following the machine.
Our Rube Goldberg - Detailed Narrative:
A tennis ball would roll down the first inclined plane (a binder) and hit the first lever, which would raise the second lever. The previously stationary marble would then roll down that lever and into a hole that we'd previously drilled through the wood. This marble would then fall through the hole, and roll down a metal screw. At the end of the screw, the marble would roll through a makeshift inclined plane (Styrofoam cups). The marble would roll through this, and then hit the dominoes. The dominoes would topple, and then hit a golf ball situated at the far end of an elevated ruler, which acted as a track on top of a shoe box. This ruler hung over the scissors so that the golf ball would fall and hit the scissor's handle, causing the blades to come together and cut the string in between. The string, attached to a first pulley, would release a weight onto the stapler and staple the paper. Additionally, that string was attached to a second pulley that would then raise the paper as a grand finale.
Physics & Engineering Concepts:
We integrated many different physics, engineering, and mathematical concepts into our Rube Goldberg machines. In class, we studied the ideas of mechanical advantage, work, force, impulse, momentum, kinetic energy, potential energy, and more. Then, we had to apply those ideas to our machines and calculate the real-life situations in front of us.
Mechanical Advantage: (input distance / output distance), which is how much a machine makes work easier. We were able to calculate the MA's of multiple simple machines in our project. The class one lever had a MA of 1.23; the second class lever had a MA of 6.5; the wedge had a MA of 1.5; and the two pulleys had a MA of 1.
Potential and Kinetic energy:. (PE = mgh; KE = mv^2 / 2) Potential and kinetic energy are theoretically equal to each other, but we know that that isn't necessarily true because in the real world, some of that energy is lost due to friction, and minute air resistance.
Work: (force x distance) of the two pulleys. The first pulley did a work of 7 J, and the second pulley did a work of 4.2 J. For our inclined planes, the idea of slope came into play. A steeper slope required more force; a gentler slope required more distance, but allowed more friction. All of these calculations connect back to what we learned during class.
Simple Machines: In our project, we integrated five different types of simple machines -- the lever, pulley, wedge, screw, and inclined plane. Building and testing the Rube Goldberg machines really let us familiarize ourselves with the different types of simple machines out there.
We integrated many different physics, engineering, and mathematical concepts into our Rube Goldberg machines. In class, we studied the ideas of mechanical advantage, work, force, impulse, momentum, kinetic energy, potential energy, and more. Then, we had to apply those ideas to our machines and calculate the real-life situations in front of us.
Mechanical Advantage: (input distance / output distance), which is how much a machine makes work easier. We were able to calculate the MA's of multiple simple machines in our project. The class one lever had a MA of 1.23; the second class lever had a MA of 6.5; the wedge had a MA of 1.5; and the two pulleys had a MA of 1.
Potential and Kinetic energy:. (PE = mgh; KE = mv^2 / 2) Potential and kinetic energy are theoretically equal to each other, but we know that that isn't necessarily true because in the real world, some of that energy is lost due to friction, and minute air resistance.
Work: (force x distance) of the two pulleys. The first pulley did a work of 7 J, and the second pulley did a work of 4.2 J. For our inclined planes, the idea of slope came into play. A steeper slope required more force; a gentler slope required more distance, but allowed more friction. All of these calculations connect back to what we learned during class.
Simple Machines: In our project, we integrated five different types of simple machines -- the lever, pulley, wedge, screw, and inclined plane. Building and testing the Rube Goldberg machines really let us familiarize ourselves with the different types of simple machines out there.
Reflection:
All in all, our project went pretty well. Our group mates got along well, and although we had some frustrating moments, we got through it together. Our group was always on task, and I was really proud of how focused we were during work periods. Throughout the course of this first project, I've learned how to collaborate with different types of people and personalities. Perhaps most importantly, I've learned that taking leadership, as well as backing down, are equally important. Sometimes, people get so excited with their own thoughts that they miss someone else's. Also, I've learned so much in the aspect of construction. I was never really a hands-on person, which is why I came to the STEM program to learn. On day one of actual building, it was an uncomfortable situation for me when my group handed me a hammer and told me to nail down the pillars. It was definitely disastrous -- I ruined more than six nails in the process of just trying to hammer down one pillar. But as the days went on, I became so much more familiar with all the tools, and that was really great. In retrospect, I completely believe that our project had lots of room for improvement. As a group, we didn't manage our time as well as we could have. We spent too much time working on the screw, and since we had to scrap multiple steps, we fell short and only had eight steps. A week and a half before the deadline, our group had to drop our things and add in two last-minute steps to the project. We added the second pulley that would raise the paper, and then the dominoes as a last-minute effort. Although it worked out, everything was a panicked hassle. I feel like if we had planned the stages better, and maybe done a small scale replica, things would've been less stressful and we would've had more time to perfect our machine. Up until the last moment, we were still tweaking little things here and there. When the machine didn't work, it was only off by an inch or so -- that extra time could've made the difference. Despite these small shortcomings, our project was an overall success and I learned so much from the entire process.
Rube Goldberg Night:
The experience of presenting in front of so many people, including judges and experienced professionals, was simply amazing. I've learned so much through this project, and sharing it with the public was great. It was a test of public speaking and keeping the viewers engaged, but it was cool to see all of our peers doing the same across the classroom!
All in all, our project went pretty well. Our group mates got along well, and although we had some frustrating moments, we got through it together. Our group was always on task, and I was really proud of how focused we were during work periods. Throughout the course of this first project, I've learned how to collaborate with different types of people and personalities. Perhaps most importantly, I've learned that taking leadership, as well as backing down, are equally important. Sometimes, people get so excited with their own thoughts that they miss someone else's. Also, I've learned so much in the aspect of construction. I was never really a hands-on person, which is why I came to the STEM program to learn. On day one of actual building, it was an uncomfortable situation for me when my group handed me a hammer and told me to nail down the pillars. It was definitely disastrous -- I ruined more than six nails in the process of just trying to hammer down one pillar. But as the days went on, I became so much more familiar with all the tools, and that was really great. In retrospect, I completely believe that our project had lots of room for improvement. As a group, we didn't manage our time as well as we could have. We spent too much time working on the screw, and since we had to scrap multiple steps, we fell short and only had eight steps. A week and a half before the deadline, our group had to drop our things and add in two last-minute steps to the project. We added the second pulley that would raise the paper, and then the dominoes as a last-minute effort. Although it worked out, everything was a panicked hassle. I feel like if we had planned the stages better, and maybe done a small scale replica, things would've been less stressful and we would've had more time to perfect our machine. Up until the last moment, we were still tweaking little things here and there. When the machine didn't work, it was only off by an inch or so -- that extra time could've made the difference. Despite these small shortcomings, our project was an overall success and I learned so much from the entire process.
Rube Goldberg Night:
The experience of presenting in front of so many people, including judges and experienced professionals, was simply amazing. I've learned so much through this project, and sharing it with the public was great. It was a test of public speaking and keeping the viewers engaged, but it was cool to see all of our peers doing the same across the classroom!
“The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent.”– Arnold Schwarzenegger