Concraption

William Bragg, Janson Harless, Brian Paul, Dominic DePaoli

Overview

• Our Rube Goldberg Device is a mash of Hot Wheels, K'nex, wood, bricks, nuts, bolts and duct tape.

• It satisfies many of the concepts we learned this year including projectile motion, center of mass, torque, angular velocity, and conservation of energy

Step 1 (Projectile Motion)

Projectile is shot from PVC Spring Cannon!

Power of cannon is moderated by nut on end of bolt.

The bolt is notched to hold back energy of spring until released by previous group.

Step 2 (Center of Mass)

Washer is balanced on its center of mass atop a k'nex structure.

When projectile strikes the structure, the washer is knocked off its center of mass.

Washer falls into a funnel to begin next step

Step 3 (Torque)

Washer falls into a cup at the end of a lever arm.

With the addition of mass from the washer, a torque is applied around the pivot point causing the opposite side to rise and release Hot Wheels car.

Step 4 (Angular Velocity)

Hot Wheels car rolls down track to angular velocity booster.

Car undergoes acceleration from booster and is propelled down track.

Step 5 (Conservation of Energy)

Car releases weight from platform.

The gravitational potential energy is converted to kinetic energy to raise the flag.

Conclusion

• Through application of the concepts learned in this course we created a monstrosity that is both inefficient and unreliable.

• Having overcome many challenges in the project, we learned to cope with one another's idiosyncratic tendencies.

• All in all, we had fun.