Rube Goldberg Project Your task is to plan and build your very own Rube Goldberg machine. A Rube Goldberg machine is one that follows an overly-complicated chain reaction of events to complete a comparatively simple task. Take, for example, the cartoon depicted below: This machine, the so-called Self-Operating Napkin, follows the following chain of events: The machine is activated when the soup spoon (A) is raised to mouth, pulling string (B) and thereby jerking ladle (C) which throws cracker (D) past parrot (E). Parrot jumps after cracker and perch (F) tilts, upsetting seeds (G) into pail (H). Extra weight in pail pulls cord (I), which opens and lights automatic cigar lighter (J), setting off skyrocket (K) which causes sickle (L) to cut string (M) and allow pendulum with attached napkin to swing back and forth, thereby wiping chin. (Wikipedia) Project Description Purpose This project has two main objectives: (1) to gain experience in project planning and (2) to explore energy transfer. The project is designed after Capstone college courses where you are expected to spend the semester planning and designing a Senior Design project. As a result, this project will be worth TWO OVERALL TEST GRADES. One test grade will be from the Planning and Presentation; the other will be from the Project itself. Turn-ins Given this project is worth two over all test grades, it is heavy in submissions. The overall project will consist of the following turn-ins: Four submissions One final planning folder/binder One presentation poster One Rube Goldberg machine Rube Goldberg Project 1 Updated November 11, 2015
Groups Groups will consist of two to five members. You may choose your own groups. There will be NO GROUP EVALUATION, so choose wisely. If you decide on more than five members, your group will be deducted fifteen points for every additional member of your group. Similarly, if you choose to work alone, you will be deducted fifteen points on the overall grade. Do not choose someone you know does not work well with you. Grading The project is worth two test/project grades and will be graded in two separate parts. The submissions will count towards the Planning and Presentation grade, while the project itself will count towards the Project grade. More detail on grading can be found on the following pages. Safety Projects are expected to be safe. Unsafe projects will result in an automatic zero on the project grade. Use good personal judgment when brainstorming design ideas for your project. Proper pre-planning is essential, as it will allow you the opportunity to ask questions about your project and any safety concerns you may have. Safety concerns must be addressed in Submission 1 and cleared by Submission 2. Due dates The due dates for the various project submissions and the project itself are listed in the table below. Be cautious of each due date. Projects are expected to be turned in on-time; projects not turned in on-time will be penalized. Submission 1 November 19 Submission 2 December 4 Submission 3 January 7 Submission 4 January 13 Project January 13 15 Presentation dates Although all projects are to be completed by the assigned due date, there will be two dates of presentations. Your group will still be expected to turn in Submission 4 in its entirety on the assigned due date, but the project itself will not be brought to school and presented until your group s presentation date. Presentation dates will be selected at random and each group will draw for their respective date. Dates cannot be changed, but if all group members agree, they may be traded with another group. Draw #1 January 13 Draw #2 January 14 Draw #3 January 15 Rube Goldberg Project 2 Updated November 11, 2015
Project Portion Grading Rubric Points Criteria 20 Contains two different types of energy 20 Contains two additional, different types of energy 20 Contains at least six successful transfers of energy 10 Successfully completes the task with a seventh (or more) and final transfer of energy 10 Lasts a minimum of ten seconds 10 Meets group presentation guidelines 10 Is turned in on time and fully removed on turn-in day Guidelines Must be finished You cannot be constructing, fixing, tweaking, finishing, finalizing, adjusting, re-arranging, re-working, creating, building, straightening, painting, decorating, polishing, shining ANYTHING once it enters the classroom. Projects are to come to school FINISHED and ready to set-up and present. Points will be deducted for any alterations made once the projects have entered the classroom. This means finish EARLY and test them out. Think of every possible scenario that could go wrong and what you can do to prevent it. (Will it be damaged in the car-ride to school? Will it fit through the doors to the school? Will it fit in the car? If it is made to fit in a pick-up truck, what happens if it rains the day it is due? Did you leave it somewhere that your dog could ruin it? Do you have tiny parts that break easily? Is there anything that may get easily lost? Do you have spare parts? Where are you going to keep removable parts?) Must complete a pre-determined useful task All projects must be designed so that they ultimately complete a useful task. The process by which the project achieves the task is a challenge completely up to the group to decide. For the overall useful task completed by the project, groups may select one of the following: Food Dispenser: Provides food to the operator. For example, it dispenses rainbow sprinkles on top of an ice cream cone. Paper Stamper: Stamps a paper with a stamp of the operator s choice. For example, the operator may use the machine to stamp a paper Great Work! Fortune Teller: Provides a random fortune (out of a minimum of five) to the operator. For example, the operator may ask the machine, Will today be a good day? and the machine will respond The outlook is not good. Must have at least seven transfers of energy The idea behind this project is conservation of energy. Therefore, projects must have at least seven transfers of energy involved in the chain reaction. More transfers of energy, however, are certainly welcomed and encouraged. Dominoes or domino-like chain reactions, as well as human-powered energy, are not allowed. It is expected that the initial source of energy will result from human causes; however, you cannot be causing the initial energy source. For example, you may drop a ball to initiate the chain reaction; but, you cannot be cranking a wheel. Rube Goldberg Project 3 Updated November 11, 2015
Must have at least four different types of energy Given the idea of the project is conservation of energy and that energy is conserved through transfer, it holds that energy is conserved through even different types of energy transfers. Therefore, the project should contain at least four different types of energy transfers. Groups may select from the following forms of energy: Gravitational Potential Energy Kinetic Energy Chemical Energy Heat/Thermal Energy Electrical Energy Electromagnetic Energy Elastic Energy Sound Energy Note that some transfers may fall under two categories, but will only be counted as one. For example fire can be considered both chemical and thermal. However, it will only be counted as one of the two. Any confusion in energy transfers must be cleared with your teacher ahead of time, as they will be left to teacher discretion. Trigger mechanism Projects must have a trigger that allows an operator to initiate the machine at their will. This means that an operator must be able to approach the machine and easily start it up to achieve the set task. The trigger mechanism, because it is initiated by energy provided by the operator, cannot be counted as one of the required energy transfers. All projects must be initiated by one of the trigger mechanisms listed below: Drop a ball Pull a string Push a button Projects may not be triggered by any other means; for example, lighting a match and burning a string is not allowed. Must be created from scratch Projects may not be built from a kit or purchased as an advertised ready-made Rube Goldberg machine. You may (and are encouraged to) research other designs to get ideas, but must build and create your project from your own resources. An analogy to this concept would be the idea of baking a cake from scratch; you can follow a recipe with your own ingredients, but cannot buy a box of cake mix. Failure to comply with this guideline will result in an automatic zero. Group presentation guidelines Groups are expected to be prepared and professional in their presentations. Disregard of any of the presentation guidelines will result in full group penalty. The guidelines for group presentations are as follows: Projects must be set-up and ready to present within 10 minutes after class begins. Even groups that are not presenting first must have their project set-up and ready to present. All group members should be professionally-dressed in business casual for the presentation. Note: Business casual dress must fall within school dress code guidelines. Groups are expected to be well-rehearsed in their presentations and know what they are going to say and who is going to say it before coming to school. Discussion amongst groups of who is saying what during class the day of presentations will result in penalty. All group members are expected to be respectful of other groups during their presentations. Talking amongst group members, tampering with projects, and other disrespectful behavior is prohibited. Rube Goldberg Project 4 Updated November 11, 2015
Planning & Presentation Portion Grading Rubric Points Possible Criteria 10 Submission 1 20 Submission 2 30 Submission 3 40 Submission 4 Meaning of Terms Found in Guidelines Professional appearance It is expected that this project be done with a professional appearance. Further, all submissions are expected to follow a standard appearance. For instance, submissions must keep a consistent heading, font, page margin, header and footer, page numbering system, etc. Professional-looking documents should at least meet the following standards: Typed and neatly preserved on plain white paper Well-organized and easy to read Consistent appearance (fonts, headings, headers/footers, page layout, etc.) Schedule Throughout the various submissions, you will be expected to submit a schedule. Scheduling is one of the most important aspects of successful project planning. In large-scale projects, there are often dozens of people who work full-time strictly updating the schedule for a job. Understand that when you make the first schedule, it is expected that things will change. As things come up and your schedule is forced to be altered, you need to make updated schedules showing these changes. All schedules should consist of the following parts: A clearly labeled calendar of relevant dates Group meeting dates Group meeting times Group meeting locations Tasks at defined date, time, and location Overall progress at that point (i.e., 20% completed) Rube Goldberg Project 5 Updated November 11, 2015
Submissions Submission 1: Submission 1 is worth 10 overall points of the Planning and Presentation grade. This submission will be graded all-or-nothing. You will either receive 10 points for a correct submission, or zero points for an incorrect submission. If you are not awarded the full 10 points, you may resubmit for eight points. Resubmissions will be due the class period after an incorrect submission is returned. Only one resubmission is allowed. The guidelines for Submission 1 are as follows: Meets professional-appearance standards Contains a preliminary schedule Describes group roles Names the useful task Describes at least one way to use each type of energy transfer Describes at least 20 ideas for energy transfers Addresses potential safety concerns Contains a supplies and materials list Contains a cost list Submission 2: Submission 2 is worth 20 overall points of the Planning and Presentation grade. This submission will be graded all-or-nothing. You will either receive 20 points for a correct submission, or zero points for an incorrect submission. If you are not awarded the full 20 points, you may resubmit for 16 points. Resubmissions will be due the class period after an incorrect submission is returned. Only one resubmission is allowed. The guidelines for Submission 2 are as follows: Clears any potential safety concerns with teacher Meets professional-appearance standards Contains an updated schedule Describes group roles Names the useful task Diagrams the updated design Describes the chain of reactions and energy transfers Names and describes the selected four different types of energy transfers Addresses solutions to any prior safety concerns Contains an updated supplies and materials list Contains an updated cost list Explains any deviation from previous submission Rube Goldberg Project 6 Updated November 11, 2015
Submission 3: Submission 3 is a video submission and is worth 30 overall points of the Planning and Presentation grade. This submission will be graded based on a rubric and there will no opportunities for resubmission. Late submissions will be due the class period after the original due date and will be deducted 10 points. It is not expected that the project will be completed at this point. The video submission is simply intended to be a documentary showing the evolution of the project in its current state. While this includes video of the current state of the physical project, it also includes video of group collaboration and the process of working together on a project. The guidelines and point break-down for Submission 3 are as follows: Points Criteria 3 3 5 minutes 3 Introduces all group members and explains purpose of project 5 Describes the chain of reactions and energy transfers 5 Names and describes the selected four different types of energy transfers 5 Contains pictures and/or clips that highlight project evolution 3 Shows the current state of project 3 Includes a clip tracking energy transfers in a single, continuous shot 3 Shows clips of problem solving Submission 4: Submission 4 is worth 40 overall points of the Planning and Presentation grade. This is the final submission in the Planning and Presentation portion of the project and will be due with the project. Submission 4 will be graded with a rubric and there will be no opportunities for resubmission. The guidelines for Submission 4 are as follows: Presentation folder (20 points) Content (14 points) The content is expected to be well-organized, easy to follow, and have a professional-appearance. A cover page and a table of contents are required. The contents should include: A diagram of the finalized design Descriptions of the finalized chain of reactions and energy transfers Names and descriptions of the four different types of energy used in the project A finalized supplies, materials, and cost list A summary of the largest overall challenge Appendix (6 points) The appendix will consist of the original and any resubmitted versions of Submissions 1-2. Poster (20 points) This is a display poster for the project; it, too, should look professional. Display posters are informative, but don t require the viewer to spend a lot of time reading. Effective display posters have pictures, diagrams, graphs, and very little wording. A viewer should be able to look at the poster and quickly and easily understand what the project does without yet seeing it in action. Posters should include the following: Group name Full names of all group members Name of the project Useful purpose Process (chain reaction) the project follows to complete its task Types of energy used Other interesting points (major setbacks, new findings, examples of problem solving, etc.) Rube Goldberg Project 7 Updated November 11, 2015