Rocket’s Energy Transfer Machine

Event Year: 2025
Event Location: Cocoa-FL
Competition: Energy Transfer Machine
Division: 6-8
School: River City Science Academy Southeast
Team Name: Rockets
Project Name: Rocket's ETMAC
Team Size: 4

Photo & Basic Info

Team, project or machine name: Rockets
Name of the School: River City Science Academy Southeast
Team Members: Vinicious M., Yusuf S., Zion S., Janelia B.
Grade level of each team member: 7, 6, 7, 6

The Team

Design Documentation

Machine Parts

Steps and Energy Transfers in the Machine

1. Manual Input (Kinetic Energy):
   A “pulley releases a wood piece tied to a string.
   Energy Transfer: Gravitational → Kinetic

2. Impact and Release:
   The wood hits another wood piece connected to an inclined plane, freeing a marble.
   Energy Transfer: Kinetic → Potential (marble) → Kinetic
3. Marble Motion:
   The marble rolls down and hits a line of dominoes.
   Energy Transfer: Kinetic (marble) → Kinetic (dominoes)
4. Domino Chain Reaction:
   Falling dominoes hit another marble.
   Energy Transfer: Kinetic (dominoes) → Kinetic (marble)
5. Marble Hits Wedge:
   The second marble hits a wedge.
   Energy Transfer: Kinetic → Mechanical
6. Wedge Activates Marbles:
   The wedge hits and releases other marbles.
   Energy Transfer: Mechanical → Kinetic
7. Channel Marble Movement:
   One marble falls into a channel and moves through it.
   Energy Transfer: Gravitational → Kinetic
8. Marble Hits Metallic Object:
   Marble strikes metallic items, causing them to fall.
   Energy Transfer: Kinetic → Mechanical
9. Lid Opens:
   Falling metallic object opens a wooden lid on a bottle.
   Energy Transfer: Mechanical
10. Sand Falls:
    Sand in the upper container begins to fall into a lower bottle.
    Energy Transfer: Gravitational → Potential
11. Lower Bottle Pulls Rope:
    As the lower bottle fills with sand, it becomes heavier and pulls a rope.
    Energy Transfer: Gravitational → Mechanical
12. Golf Ball Swings:
    The pulled rope causes a golf ball connected to a string to swing.
    Energy Transfer: Mechanical → Kinetic
13. Swing Hits Wood:
    The swinging ball or string hits a wood piece.
    Energy Transfer: Kinetic → Mechanical
14. Flag Activates:
    The wood movement changes the flag from horizontal to vertical.
    Energy Transfer: Mechanical
15. String Pulled Again:
    As the flag rises, it pulls a string.
    Energy Transfer: Mechanical
16. Circuit Completed:
    The string completes the circuit, allowing electric current to flow.
    Energy Transfer: Mechanical → Electrical
    

The list of parts used in construction

2 Batteries
2 battery holder
Cables
Light bulb
Strings
Woods
Sand
Recycled bottle divided in half
Marbles
Golf ball
Dominoes
Pulley
Paper
Metallic Weight

Introductory Segment

Machine Run