Cartoon with labels:
Description:
This exciting device includes 4 fun, functional steps. Though large and clunky our device utilizes changes of momentum and energy to effectively pop a balloon. Our construction consists of cardboard, plastic, wooden sticks, and dominoes that provide an unforgettable experience. The object that begins this chain reaction is the common playing marble which performs flawlessly. You as the consumer will not be let down by this amazing Rube Goldberg balloon popping device.
Build Process:
When we started the project, we had a completely different picture of what we wanted to make. We were shooting for a continuous, straight roller coaster of some sorts. However, once we actually started building, we got the inspiration to make it wrap around and almost corkscrew. We thought that this would be a lot more creative and interesting. In addition to this twist, we ultimately replaced and added a few steps.
Difficulties and End Result:
While building, we did encounter some problems. First, we were having difficulties knocking over the first domino. In order to solve this, we placed a big marble in front of it. We also had some trouble towards the end with our seesaw. We were not able to direct the marble towards where we wanted it to go. It was very unreliable, which ended up hurting us during our tests. Finally, our contraption we used to pop the balloon was also unreliable. Once again, the marble did not always have enough speed to knock over the part holding the needle. Overall, our Rube Goldberg machine did not end up popping the balloon, but with a little more refining we’re sure it would have.
Kinematics:
Height = .6 m
Mass = .0052 kg
Potential energy = (.0052 kg)(9.8 m/s^2)(.6 m) = .03 J
Projectile Catapult Project Blog 