James Wreden, Joey Walkup, Chapin Williams, and I spent roughly a month building our Rube Goldberg machine. Overall our group did pretty well on our first project. A Rube Goldberg machine , inspired by Reuben Goldberg, is basically a complex sequence of simple tasks to produce an ending goal. In our case we used six different simple machines to pour a can of Chef Boyardee ravioli into a bowl. Rube Goldberg machines are typically not effective in any situation but they were inspired by Reuben's comics where he drew these so-called Rube Goldberg machines. His most famous machine is the "napkin contraption" as I like to call it and its end goal is to give the character a napkin after he finishes eating. My group's theme was Chef Boyardee which I can ascribe the creativity to James and Chapin for that. We used six simple machines to reach our end goal of a delicious cold bowl of uncooked ravioli. If you do not know what a simple machine is look at my physics concepts and vocabulary below. Below I will showcase a picture of our machine, a picture of our blueprint, physics concepts/vocabulary, and an evaluation of my group's work. I hope you enjoy learning about the process of my first project in STEM.
Physics Concepts/Vocabulary
In order to build a successful Rube Goldburg machine, our awesome physics teacher, Mr. Williams, had to teach us about some concepts that occur while the machine is in use. These are some key terms and how they helped us present for our school community:
Force: A force is a push or pull of an object. Force generally causes an object to move. Force is usually measured in newtons(N) thanks to Isaac Newton and his laws of physics. In our machine, force is applied by gravity when the sauce falls into the pipe. One (the most common) equation for force is mass multiplied acceleration (F=ma) (N=kgm/s^2).
Mass: Mass is basically how much matter an object is made out of. Mass is measured in kilograms. Mass is not the same as weight because weight corresponds to gravity pushing/pulling an object down so force applied to the matter results in weight. We can use the marble's mass to find momentum, force, force of gravity which would correspond to weight, and impulse.
Speed/Velocity: Speed is the change in distance divided by the change in time. Velocity is the speed and a corresponding direction in which the object is moving; this can vary depending on the reference point you are using. A reference point is usually a non-moving point in the universe (even though the universe is constantly moving/expanding) in which you can calculate the distance from and the time passed to reach a new point. (V=d/t+direction) (V=meters/second/s) The average velocity of the ball rolling down a ramp was 2.1m/s.
Acceleration/Acceleration due to gravity: Acceleration is the change in velocity of an object over a period of time. (Slowing down or speeding up of an object). Acceleration is measured in meters/second^2. (a=m/s^2). Acceleration due to gravity on Earth is always 9.8 m/s^2 as Earth's gravitational pull is not changing. All free falling objects have this acceleration because gravity is the force affecting them. Our sauce was falling so it had an acceleration of 9.8m/s^2.
Potential Energy: Potential energy is the amount of energy stored in an object due to its height above another non-moving object, giving the object potential to fall hence the name. Energy is always measured in joules (J) and P.E. is the product of multiplying mass, acceleration due to gravity, and height. (P.E=magh) Our sauce had Potential energy as it had potential to fall into the tube.
Kinetic Energy: Kinetic energy is the energy of a moving (kinetic) object or the energy due to motion. Kinetic energy is a type of energy so it will also be measured in joules. K.E. is the product of 1/2 of the mass multiplied by the velocity squared. (K.E.=1/2mV^2)
Work: Work is the amount of energy put into an object to make it move. If an object does not move, no work is done. Work is the product of force and distance. Since work is an amount of energy, it is measured in joules. (W=fd) (W=Nm)
Simple Machine: A simple machine is an object used to change the direction or magnitude of a force. There are six different simple machines. A lever, screw, pulley, inclined plane, wedge, and a wheel and axle are the six different simple machines. My group used all of them in our machine.
Mechanical Advantage: Mechanical advantage is how much easier a machine makes a task (effectiveness). Mechanical advantage is used to manipulate work and require less force but push/pull a greater distance. Ideal mechanical advantage is calculated by a ratio of distance of the effort divided by the distance of the load. Real mechanical advantage is calculated by a ratio of the force of the load divided by the force of the effort. These two mechanical advantages are equivalent because the work of effort and load are equivalent. (1=effort; 2=load) (F1d1=F2d2) (d1/d2=F2/F1)
Self Evaluation
My group had its ups and downs but we did pretty well and reached our goal. Overall I gained a lot from this experience and this project has gotten me excited about the rest to come. My group worked hard and managed to have fun at the same time. I still have to learn how to work well with groups rather than just myself. Usually I just have my ideas and nobody with different approaches on problems than I do. I am a sort of shy person so being a leader in my group was not necessarily of prominence. Chapin or James giving me tasks worked out well and I got whatever they needed me to do done. I felt sort of trapped though because I was not on the same page as my team on what they were exactly trying to do so I could not understand what my role in the group exactly was. I wanted to do the calculations and let my group do the project but James already took that role. I learned and am still learning how to take control of my group and how to lead them in my way but I have a long way to go for that. I learned that I cannot just wait for an opportunity to do something but rather pursue that opportunity. I have also learned to trust my friends and that it is okay for both of us to be right. Our group fell into a pit when Chapin was absent but we still got some decent work done. Our peak was toward the end of our project when we got used to working with each other and we built a rhythm. Although some times were rough, we pulled through and I was proud to be a member of our group.