Rube Goldberg: The Sweet Surprise
By Bryce Ward, Connor Whitesell and Jacob Selbe
The Rube Goldberg Project was our 2nd big project in physics. We started the project before winter break, and had our exhibition on January 31, 2013. A Rube Goldberg is a machine or contraption that usually accomplishes a very simple task in a very complex way, often resulting in chain reaction steps. Our task to shoot a dart into a balloon filled with candy. During this project we learned how to calculate forces used in the Rube, work and manage power tools, and set/change realistic building goals. Our Rubes were required to have a minimum of ten steps. A step is considered to be when energy is transferred from one object to another, such as a ball dropping and hitting a ramp. They was a time requirement of at least 10 seconds and you had to use several simple machines. Extra credit was given for raising an object 12 or more inches, using all simple machines, exceeding the time requirement, or having a bunch of extra steps. Our Rube had five of the six simple machines: we had the screw, the inclined plane, the lever, the pulley, and the wheel and axel; we were missing the wedge. We received credit for raising something 12 inches, because our archimedes screw carried water up and for breaking the time record. Our Rube held the record time around 30+ seconds. This was because our first step was an archimedes screw which took a long time to pump enough water into the bucket. After that step our Rube was barely 2 seconds. Archimedes screws were first invented in the 3rd Century BC. An archimedes screw was used as the first irrigation and transports water upward through a turning inclined plane. Water would pour out of the screw into a bucket, which would lower a see-saw. Attached to other end of the see-saw was a peg that knocked a marble down a track. The marble knocked into a nail which caused a string to slip off the end. The string was attached to a weight which would drop, pulling down a lever and releasing a dart from an air canon into a candy filled balloon.
Rube Goldberg Videos
Rube Goldberg completely Works
This is the video of my Rube Goldberg, the one time it worked completely and without help. It only worked flawlessly once, and we just happened to get it on video.
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Rube Goldberg Mostly works
This is a video where it only worked halfway. The lever of the air canon didn't go down far enough, so the pressure wasn't released, keeping the dart from shooting out and popping the balloon.
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Rube Goldberg Photos
Rube Goldberg SketchUp Blueprint
Each file is a screenshot from different angles of the Rube Goldberg blueprint, which was done in the SketchUp program. The only other way to put the blueprint on my DP would be as a SketchUp file, requiring viewers to download SketchUp.
(The numbers on the blueprint correspond to the calculations for the Rube)
(The numbers on the blueprint correspond to the calculations for the Rube)
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Rube Goldberg Calculations
(The calculations correspond to numbered parts of the Rube shown on the blueprint)
3: See-Saw
MA = Mechanical advantage
MA = 18/26
MA = .69
4: Ball Bearing
V = Velocity
V = d/t
V = distance/time
V = 12/.71
V = 16.8
5: Dart Shoot
P = Power
P = w/t
P = (f x d)/t
P = (7.66 N x 0.045 m)/0.12
P = 2.87
W = 0.34
6: Weight Mass
PE = Potential energy
PE = MGE
PE = m(mass)g(9.8)h(height)
PE = .6 x 9.8 x .69
PE = .40572
7: Gun Lever
MA = Mechanical advantage
MA = 30.6/3.7
MA = 8.27