THE RUBE GOLDBERG PROJECT
In this project I learned a lot about construction and power tools. Even though we were not amazing at using the tools (hence the time I broke the blade of the band saw and nearly started a fire with a drill) we still got things done and I ended the project with more knowledge that I started. I also really learned the importance of measurement. Our rube really depended on having everything placed very specifically and without perfect measurement it would not have functioned correctly.
Oddly enough the most simple step was the hardest, the domino track. They would walys either get stuck or fall to the side, stopping the flow of the rube and causing us to restart over and over. We are not quite sure why this step was so difficult but it never just seemed to work.
The first step was the drop of the pendulum, this would then bump into a hockey puck that rolled and pushed a heavy weight over the edge. When the weight dropped the pulley caused another weight to rise. When this second weight rose it freed a wheel and axle down a track. The wheel and axle bumped into the first domino that then caused the rest to fall, the last domino had a cluster of push pins on it that would pop and/or push down the balloon. The balloon had a pendulum sitting on top of it and when the balloon popped/fell the pendulum would swing and bump into a ball. This ball would then run down a track and land on the handle of a pair of suspended scissors. When these scissors closed on the string and cut it, the cup of water behind held up by the string fell and watered the plant
I think the concept of something rolling or going down a track was the most important concept because it was used on three different occasions but in unique ways
OUR RUBE:
In this project I learned a lot about construction and power tools. Even though we were not amazing at using the tools (hence the time I broke the blade of the band saw and nearly started a fire with a drill) we still got things done and I ended the project with more knowledge that I started. I also really learned the importance of measurement. Our rube really depended on having everything placed very specifically and without perfect measurement it would not have functioned correctly.
Oddly enough the most simple step was the hardest, the domino track. They would walys either get stuck or fall to the side, stopping the flow of the rube and causing us to restart over and over. We are not quite sure why this step was so difficult but it never just seemed to work.
The first step was the drop of the pendulum, this would then bump into a hockey puck that rolled and pushed a heavy weight over the edge. When the weight dropped the pulley caused another weight to rise. When this second weight rose it freed a wheel and axle down a track. The wheel and axle bumped into the first domino that then caused the rest to fall, the last domino had a cluster of push pins on it that would pop and/or push down the balloon. The balloon had a pendulum sitting on top of it and when the balloon popped/fell the pendulum would swing and bump into a ball. This ball would then run down a track and land on the handle of a pair of suspended scissors. When these scissors closed on the string and cut it, the cup of water behind held up by the string fell and watered the plant
I think the concept of something rolling or going down a track was the most important concept because it was used on three different occasions but in unique ways
OUR RUBE: