Steven Stokes Christopher Van Buren Lee West Robert Williams

From left to right Steven Stokes Chris Van Buren Robert Williams Lee West

The Rube Goldberg device constructed utilizes the concepts of gravity and energy to successfully lift a mass. The devices consists of an angled PVC pipe secured by two 2 x 4’s of different lengths. A mousetrap (mounted on the large 2 x 4) is attached to a string, which in turn is also connected to a trap door. Contained in the pipe is 2.8lbs of marbles. A bucket is also attached to a pulley. When the mousetrap is set off, the marbles travel down the pipe and into the bucket. Because the combined weight of the bucket and marbles > mass, the mass will be pulled to the top.

Stored Energy The main stored energy in the device are the marbles in the pipe. The energy is stored in the form of Potential Energy and is converted into Kinetic Energy. At the top of the pipe the individual marbles have a stored energy of.01 Joules/Marble (mgh =.0065lbs x 1.75ft). The total stored energy for the approximate 200 marbles is 20 Joules. The final speed of each marble is… ∆KE = ∆PE ½ mv f 2 - ½ mv i 2 = mgh f – mgh i ½ mv f 2 - 0= 0 – mgh i ½ mv f 2 = mgh i ½ v f 2 = (-32.2[ft/sec 2 ])(-1.75[ft]) Vf ⋲ 10.62[ft/sec]

Design The design was relatively simple. The project involved. –One 2 x 4 –One ‘heavy duty’ RATtrap –One PVC pipe –Bucket –Three Small Pulleys –String –Paint –Base-board –Nails –Vacuum Tube The main conflict in the Construction was setting up the apparatus such that the mass would be lifted at least 1 meter off of the ground. The vacuum tube was placed to guide the marbles into the bucket. Also, careful detail was given to the placement of the rat-trap so that the marbles would deploy properly. Conclusion In conclusion, the device that was constructed was neither difficult or complicated. Although the device was not 100% effiecient, it still performed well. The End