About The Project
The purpose of this project was to use very complex steps to accomplish a simple task. Our first and second day, we spent brainstorming with our groups what we wanted our simple task to be, and what kind of steps we could use to achieve our goal, while incorporating six simple machines. Once we figured out at least ten steps that incorporated our six simple machines: a screw, lever, pulley, inclined plane, wedge, and wheel and axle, we started in on drawing our first schematic, a scale drawing of our machine. After completing this, we started in on building our actual machine. Our first step was a 16 inch, .4 meter, long inclined plane. Then came our lever with two x-acto knife blades glued into it acting as a wedge which popped our balloon containing a marble. Once the marble falls, it rolls down another 16 inch, .4 meter, inclined plain that lead into a screw. However, because of the marbles acceleration increase as it rolled down the inclined plane, it didn't give people enough time to process what was happening. My group and I decided it would be a good idea to build a maze on the ramp for the marble to go through to try and slow it down. This idea worked very well and came in handy with our next inclined plane. As the marble came out of the screw and collided with another marble resting on the edge of the tube, the momentum was so great, that it made it hard for the audience to follow our machine. Thus, we decided to screw in screws from the bottom of the third inclined plane so the two marbles would ping off of them and slow down. These two marbles collided with a steel marble resting at the end of the inclined plane which collided with a 100 gram weight attached to a pulley system. The marbles and weight then fall into a cup screwed in directly below the third inclined plane. When the weight pulls down on one side of the pulley, the other side of the pulley pulls up the cup full of vinegar and causes the vinegar to spill into the first funnel. The vinegar then funnels into a volcano filled with baking soda. When the vinegar and baking soda mix, a chemical reaction takes place causing the volcano to erupt. The mixture of baking soda and vinegar then overflow into the big funnel and drip into a foam cup. This cup is attached to a lever which is linked to another lever below it. A train rests on the second lever waiting till it has enough momentum to roll down the track. When the cup gathers enough fluid, it pulls up the second lever causing the train to start accelerating down the track. Then for our last step, the train jumps the track and rings the bell.