Rube Goldberg Final Project AP Physics Spring 2015

Who was Rube Goldberg? Rube Goldberg ( ) was a Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist, sculptor and author. Graduating from the University of California Berkeley with a degree in engineering. Became an office boy in the sports department of a San Francisco newspaper. While there he began to submit drawings and cartoons to the editor until he was finally published. Rube soon moved from San Francisco to New York to work for the Evening Mail drawing daily cartoons. This led to syndication and a national presence – and the rest is history.

Example of his work…

Although he never built one of his designs… … many people, inspired by his work, have sought to reproduce the novelty of his cartoons with complicated three dimensional devices that accomplish a simple task.

The Competition (based on 2014/2015 Science Olympiad criteria) Final task- raise a flag 30+ cm Initial task- drop something on a mousetrap to initiate the machine Must run for between 60 and 180 seconds Must incorporate 5+ basic energy forms (gravitational potential, elastic potential, kinetic, electrical potential, thermal, etc…)

Parameters All parts of the device must fit and stay within a 1 m by 1 m by 1 m imaginary cube during operation. After the start task is initiated, the device must run on its own with any remote control mechanism. Only wires, batteries, photo cells, homemade solenoids, switches, and a maximum of one motor may be used…no computers, integrated circuits or other electronic components are allowed. All transfers take time, but any continuous action designed to take up time may not be electrical. All sources of energy and actions must be contained within the imaginary box before, during and after the device’s operation. Potential to any single electrical circuit must not exceed ten volts. All batteries must be factory-sealed and voltage labeled by the manufacturer. Lead-acid batteries are not permitted. Energy devices (ex: batteries, mousetraps, candles) except motors, may be activated prior to starting the device. The top and at least one vertical wall must be open or transparent for viewing all actions and tasks. Teams may have no more than four people. Due date: Tentatively May 29th

Scoring (for competition)-grading will have criteria in addition to this Energy transfers- points will be awarded when there is a transfer from one energy form to a different basic energy form. Only unique energy transfers will receive points (ex: gravitational potential to kinetic may show up in your project more than once, but it only gets points one time) You must provide an energy transfer list (ETL) – see model on next slide Only energy transfers explicitly stated on your list will qualify Time constraint- maximum points awarded for a machine that runs for seconds, deduction for more/less time Successful starting/final task- maximum points awarded for a machine that that complies with the starting/ending assigned tasks, deduction for failure (ex: the flag only goes up 20 cm) Deduction of points (and possible disqualification) will occur any time a rule is violated Deduction of points will occur any time that the machine must be touched, adjusted or restarted

Safety parameters Hazardous materials are not permitted (for example, but not limited to…) Rat traps Dangerous chemicals explosives Utilize standard safety equipment Safety glasses, etc…