ou are going to build your own Rube Goldberg machine. You will start with the plan you made last time but you must add at least two other kinds of simple machines. You may use more but there needs to be at least three in your design. The purpose of the machine can be whatever you like. After you make your plan, create a design. A prototype is optional. Next build the machine. Once you have built the final machine, test it to see if you need to make adjustments or improvements. Write all your observations, steps, and test results to submit as your portfolio....
Plan:
1. Start with a marble rolling down a ramp (inclined plane).
2. The marble will knock over a domino (lever).
3. The domino will hit a toy car, which will roll down a track (wheel and axle).
4. The car will hit a switch, turning on a fan (pulley).
5. The fan will blow a ping pong ball into a cup, completing the Rube Goldberg machine.
Design:
I will use household items such as cardboard, tape, marbles, dominos, toy cars, switches, fans, and ping pong balls to construct the machine. The ramp will be made from cardboard, the domino will be placed at the end of the ramp, the track will be built using cardboard and tape, the switch and fan will be set up at the end of the track, and the ping pong ball will be placed in the cup.
Build:
1. Construct the ramp by cutting a piece of cardboard into a slope.
2. Set up the domino at the end of the ramp.
3. Create the track using cardboard and tape leading to the switch and fan.
4. Place the toy car at the top of the ramp.
5. Position the switch and fan at the end of the track.
6. Place the ping pong ball in the cup at the end of the track.
Test:
1. Release the marble down the ramp and observe if it knocks over the domino successfully.
2. Watch as the domino hits the toy car and see if it rolls down the track.
3. Check if the toy car hits the switch, turning on the fan.
4. Monitor as the fan blows the ping pong ball into the cup.
Observations:
- The marble successfully knocked over the domino.
- The toy car rolled down the track after being hit by the domino.
- The car hit the switch, turning on the fan.
- The fan blew the ping pong ball into the cup.
Improvements:
- The toy car sometimes got stuck on the track, so I will adjust the angle of the track.
- The fan was not powerful enough to blow the ping pong ball reliably, so I will try using a stronger fan.
Overall, the Rube Goldberg machine was a success, but there are areas for improvement to make it more reliable and consistent in its actions.