The Backyard!
Event Year: 2021
Event Location: Virtual
Competition: Energy Transfer Machine
Division: 6-8
School: Indian Trails Middle
Team Size: 5
Event Location: Virtual
Competition: Energy Transfer Machine
Division: 6-8
School: Indian Trails Middle
Team Size: 5
Members
- Kayley – grade 8
- Leah – grade 8
- Nathan – grade 8
- Colin – grade 8
- Andrew – grade 8
Helpers
- Liam – grade 7
- Mr. Vanslyke – teacher
Steps
- Human presses the button turning on the fan which blows ping pong ball (chemical-kinetic-chemical-mechanical-kinetic)
- Ping pong ball hits dominoes (Kinetic-Kinetic)
- Dominoes hit steel ball (kinetic-kinetic)
- Steel ball rolls down INCLINED PLANE hitting a switch (Kinetic-Kinetic)
- Switch activates the motor and turns rotor (Kinetic-Chemical-Electrical-Mechanical)
- Rotor turns ARCHIMEDES SCREW lifting marble (Mechanical-Kinetic and increasing Potential)
- Marble falls and lifts PULLEY (Kinetic-Kinetic)
- PULLEY hits ping pong ball (Kinetic-Kinetic)
- Ping pong ball rolls down INCLINED PLANE and hits switch (Kinetic-Kinetic)
- Switch activates motor with gears coiling up rope with magnets (Mechanical-Kinetic)
- Rope pulls and drops steel ball on Newton’s Cradle (Kinetic-Potential-Kinetic)
- Newton’s Cradle pushes wedge (Kinetic-Kinetic)
- WEDGE lifts LEVER (Kinetic-Kinetic)
- LEVER turns into INCLINED PLANE causing marble to roll down (Kinetic-Kinetic)
- Marble hits domino (Kinetic-Kinetic)
- Domino hits switch (Kinetic-Kinetic)
- Switch activates motor with gears (Kinetic-Kinetic)
- Gears turn holder releasing marble (Mechanical-Kinetic)
- Marble rolls down INCLINED PLANE and hits LEVER (Kinetic-Mechanical)
- LEVER releases catapult launching marble(Mechanical-Released elastic potential-Kinetic)
- Marble rolls down INCLINED PLANE and hits larger marble which then hits switch (Kinetic-Electrical)
- Switch lights up lights in FINAL STEP (Electrical-Light)
Very nice design and build, great execution too of the energy transfers. Congratulations on a job well done.
The catapult was by far the hardest part to calibrate, it took hours in the in the last few days before the competition to work on calibrating the catapult, I ended up just adding the very large inclined plane to catch it instead of trying to make sure that it would land in the small PVC pipe, I decided to make a landing platform that better fit the landing ellipsoid.
Good demonstration of your understanding of simple machines. The staging is unique.
I really liked that you thought about making the machine coherent with a theme, so that even the Newton’s Cradle became a swing set! I wish the camera would have been a bit closer and from a bit higher angle though–there is so much I wanted to see closer! Good job!
Impressive Rube Goldberg machine. It is evident that your team worked collaboratively to make each transfer point unique and purposeful throughout the project. Excellent job!
Thank you! Although we could be a bit snippy with each other, we worked together to make our final project run smoothly.
Over 20 unique transfers of energy! A 17 second video that clearly took hours and hours designing and problem solving each section to work together ALL IN ONE SHOT! Nice clarity describing each step! A true example of perseverance to accomplish such a difficult task, great job!
Wow great work on your Rube Goldberge machine!