This is our Rube Goldberg Machine, the first of many projects in STEM. We spent a total of 4 weeks planning, constructing, improving, creating a presentation, and finally: presenting this project.
A Rube Goldberg Machine at work:
The definition of a Rube Goldberg Machine is: a series of complicated steps to complete one simple task.
Our task was to provide a pencil to a friend. We started out by working our way backwards, starting from a system which would drop a cup, spilling a marble and knocking down the pencil. Then my group started to devise and plan out different systems which would drop the cup in the first place. After much deliberation we decided on a marble rolling down a screw, which would hit a car and sending it rolling down to pop a balloon. The balloon would spill water into a cup, lowering a lever releasing a marble down an incline plane, impacting another marble to fall into a second cup which would then lower.
We ran into a problem:
We couldn't find a way to properly attach a needle to a toy car to effectively and consistently pop the balloon from the first cup at the correct angle.
Our solution:
Instead of a car, use a lever to pop a balloon! This sadly created more problems (and allowed us to realize unforeseen ones) including: how would we hit the lever with enough force to pop the balloon, and how could we make sure enough water would fall into the cup when our balloons popped?
Our solution for the first problem was to knock down a weight which provided an effective and reliable solution for the lever problem.
Next we had to solve our water problem. The first, and frankly most obvious, solution was to attach a funnel onto the cup below to catch more water. We later replaced this idea with placing the balloon in a cup and cutting a small hole into the cup as we didn't have enough space for the funnel. The punctured balloon then drained into a cup placed below which when filled caused a lever to shift, raising an inclined plane to a sloped position which allowed a golf ball to roll into a third cup.
This third cup was attached by string to a pulley then to a screw which would then be forced to pull away from a marble. The marble, thus released rolled down an additional incline plane to hit a paddle which then hit a pencil. The pencil would roll down yet another inclined plane into a friend's hand thus completing the simple task.
Our task was to provide a pencil to a friend. We started out by working our way backwards, starting from a system which would drop a cup, spilling a marble and knocking down the pencil. Then my group started to devise and plan out different systems which would drop the cup in the first place. After much deliberation we decided on a marble rolling down a screw, which would hit a car and sending it rolling down to pop a balloon. The balloon would spill water into a cup, lowering a lever releasing a marble down an incline plane, impacting another marble to fall into a second cup which would then lower.
We ran into a problem:
We couldn't find a way to properly attach a needle to a toy car to effectively and consistently pop the balloon from the first cup at the correct angle.
Our solution:
Instead of a car, use a lever to pop a balloon! This sadly created more problems (and allowed us to realize unforeseen ones) including: how would we hit the lever with enough force to pop the balloon, and how could we make sure enough water would fall into the cup when our balloons popped?
Our solution for the first problem was to knock down a weight which provided an effective and reliable solution for the lever problem.
Next we had to solve our water problem. The first, and frankly most obvious, solution was to attach a funnel onto the cup below to catch more water. We later replaced this idea with placing the balloon in a cup and cutting a small hole into the cup as we didn't have enough space for the funnel. The punctured balloon then drained into a cup placed below which when filled caused a lever to shift, raising an inclined plane to a sloped position which allowed a golf ball to roll into a third cup.
This third cup was attached by string to a pulley then to a screw which would then be forced to pull away from a marble. The marble, thus released rolled down an additional incline plane to hit a paddle which then hit a pencil. The pencil would roll down yet another inclined plane into a friend's hand thus completing the simple task.
Steps:
1. A wheel and axle spins to rotate a paddle.
2. The paddle hits a marble which rolls down a screw.
3. The marble rolls down an inclined plane and hits a weight.
4. The weight falls down, hitting a lever.
5. The lever moves, popping a balloon with a wedge (pin) attached to the end of the lever.
6. The balloon pops, dropping water into a cup attached to another lever.
7. The cup lowers, raising the opposite side of the the lever.
8. The far side of the lever lifts an inclined plane into position.
9. The newly formed inclined plane releases a golf ball.
10. The golf ball rolls down the inclined plane, falling into a cup attached to a pulley.
11. The pulley raises a screw allowing a marble to fall.
12. The marble rolls down another inclined plane, hitting a second paddle.
13. The paddle hits a pencil which fall into the waiting hands of a friend.
1. A wheel and axle spins to rotate a paddle.
2. The paddle hits a marble which rolls down a screw.
3. The marble rolls down an inclined plane and hits a weight.
4. The weight falls down, hitting a lever.
5. The lever moves, popping a balloon with a wedge (pin) attached to the end of the lever.
6. The balloon pops, dropping water into a cup attached to another lever.
7. The cup lowers, raising the opposite side of the the lever.
8. The far side of the lever lifts an inclined plane into position.
9. The newly formed inclined plane releases a golf ball.
10. The golf ball rolls down the inclined plane, falling into a cup attached to a pulley.
11. The pulley raises a screw allowing a marble to fall.
12. The marble rolls down another inclined plane, hitting a second paddle.
13. The paddle hits a pencil which fall into the waiting hands of a friend.
Here we are, on the front page of the Novato Patch!