Build a Compound Machine

We combined 3 of our simple machines into 1 compound machine. We combined our pulley, lever, and wheel and axle to create a machine with an AMA of 132. We were supposed to create a machine that had an AMA of 90. It was supposed to make lifting an object easier and more efficient. So we attached the wheel and axle to the pulley, and added a crank. After that we connected the lever to the pulley, which is what lifted the lever.

Our compound machine came out good because we had an AMA of 132 which was third in the class. One of the problems that we faced was not being able to pull up the weight as easy as it shouldve been able to because it was rubbing against the wood. So we changed the layout and it made it easier for the pulley to raise up the weight. Our changed that we made improved the AMA by 40, we made the second arm of the pulley go straight down instead of farther out to the side. We couldve used a stronger piece of string instead of the kind that we used, that wouldve made the rotation of the wheel and axle easier, and it wouldve been easier to move the weight.

I learned that the AMA is all depended on how efficient you are at putting your machines together. The hardest part was to think of a way to combine all of the machines, after that, it became easier to made the small adjustments on the project. Now I know that for the future projects, the most important part is to get a good foundation idea to build the project around. After that, the little adjustments that you have to make will come easier because you already have a grasp on the big idea of the project.

Simple Machines Blog

For this simple machine project we built 4 of the simple machines; the lever, wheel and axle, pulley, and inclined plane. For the pulley, the IMA that we were supposed to get was 2, and for the other 3 machines we were supposed to get an IMA of 6. We calculated the efficiency of each machine by dividing the AMA by the IMA and multiplying that by 100. After all the machines were tested and we had all of the percent's, we found the average percent for each group to see who did the best overall job.

For the wheel and axle we got 1st place with a 90% efficiency, for the inclined plane we got 2nd place with a 37% efficiency, for the lever we got 1st place with a 73% efficiency, and for the pulley we got 1st place with a 75% efficiency. Our average percent was 69% and the second place group only was 41% efficient. Some people would say that we were the obvious winner, but there are so many different things that can go wrong with testing the machines so its hard to actually pick a winner.

We didn't get 100% efficiency because its very difficult to measure perfectly and test it perfectly. For the pulley, there needed to be a horizontal line that could go through  2 of the pieces of string, which doesn't include the force arm. For all of the other machines we needed to measure a 6 to 1 ratio in order to achieve an IMA of 6. We could've payed more attention to the IMA before we started building so we could build the machine to specifically fit the IMA, instead of building the machines and then worrying about the IMA. That wouldve made it easier to change the IMA if it didnt come out with the results that we wanted when we tested. We also couldve tested earlier so we knew ahead of time what the IMA was, and if we needed to redo what we previously did.

Wooden Wheel and Axle, Noah and Dylan, Dec. 2013

Wooden Pulley, Nathan and Rob, Dec. 2013



Wooden Inclined Plane, Noah and Rob, Dec. 2013

Wooden Lever, Nathan and Dylan, Dec. 2013

Simple Machines

 

Part A

 

1. Lever

 

2. Wedge

 

3. Pulley

 

4. Inclined Plane

 

5. Wheel and Axle

 

6. Screw

 

Part B

 

First, because the wedge and the inclined plane are very similiar. Secondly, the lever and the pulley both work by applying force onto one side which then moves the object.

 

 



Westwood on the Cutting Edge

 

 

The Online Shopper 



 

The Online Shopper is an innovative idea that would allow you to print out anything that you see online, and have it in 3D form. Instead of going to the store and purchasing the object, you could order it online and then have it printed right there. You could program the printer to be able to print out any kind of fabric, or material that your product needs. Once you program it you could order anything you want, pay for it, and have it within 24 hours. One of the positives to this is that you wouldnt need to pay for shipping and handling, because you are ordering it yourself.

 

Students could learn the idea of programming a printer, and also how to shop online and order it by yourself. They could also learn how the printer takes your order, and creates it into a real 3D product. They would learn a lot of computer science from this project. They would learn codes and other functions on the computer that are advanced terms that not a lot of people know. Most importantly, you could be a part of the creation of a future concept that could start a revolution in shopping forever.



 
Other Possible Projects

 

 

1. 3D Printer: The Online Shopper- If you had a 3D printer at your house then once you saw something that you wanted online, you could enter it into the printer and it would appear.

 

2. 3D Scanner: The Limb-addition- If you needed a limb because you didnt have a limb, then you could scan your other limb, reverse it, and create your new limb.

 

3. Emotiv: The Remote Tracer- If you were comfortably sitting down and didnt want to get up, you could use your brain waves to make the object come towards you.

 

4. Emotiv: The Communicator- If two or more people had the same headset, you could talk to eachother through the headset with your thoughts instead of talking.

 

5. Emotiv: The Memorizer- A headset that can record, and store anything that you've ever seen in your entire life.

Notecard DesignCycle Challenge

During the designing process, there were 2 major issues that we faced. The first issue was we had to decide what shape we wanted to make our supports. Then after that we had to try to figure out the details about the best way to instruct the design. From the beginning we knew that we were going to use columns, but we just didnt know the specifics on how to make the columns most efficient in holding the weight. We made a lot of different designs, tested them, and then chose which one we thought would be the most successful, and used that design to get the Atkins 'A'.

I think that our design was the best design possible. Rolling 8 1 inch columns around a pencil and taping them around the middle is a design that wont deflect, or collapse easily. But it took us a while to figure that out, in the beginning we could only hold 2 textbooks, but in the end we got the Atkins 'A'. The only thing that we couldve done to improve our design was to equally roll all of our columns. We had 4 wider columns on the outside, and 4 skinnier columns on the inside. We made sure that there was nothing in the middle of the columns, because as long as there is structure on the outside, the inside can be open.

Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum

 

 



The Copper-Hewitt National Design Museum is located on 2 east 91st street New York, New York. The museum has more than 200,000 objects that you can view, ranging from objects created over 100 years ago, to objects created this year. It focuses on contemporary and historic design. It is located in New York which is a very popular place for engineering.

This trip would be academically relevant because it is a design museum, and designing is a huge part of engineering. Also, we could go to the Andrew Carnegie mansion on 5th street, which has a similiar to the museum because it has a lot of special pieces and inventions. It is a reasonable place to go because it is very relevant to our cirriculum, and it would be a great place to go and learn about how valuable designing is in engineering.

Innovation: The iPhone 5

The iPhone 5
Created in 2012
By: Jonathan Ive



The iPhone 5 was created in 2012 by Jonathan Ive. The iPhone is now one of the most popular phones in the world. Prior to the iPhone, there were flip phones, slide phones, and other touch screen phones. Before the iPhone people had a phone and a seperate iPod. But now the iPhone is a combination of an iPod and a phone. This is considered one of the best ideas in the world, it is so much more efficient and better looking than any other phone out there. The iPhone can also play videos, browse the web, and call other phones.

Before the iPhone you couldnt just carry everything that you needed for your social life in one device. On the iPhone you can play games, and take pictures, which are features that you cant do on other devices. The iPhone is basically a combination of an mp3 player, a computer, and a phone. And is a huge part of a lot of peoples lives all over the world. The iPhone is one of the best innovations to the phone because you can do anything that you would want to do on a computer, mp3 player, or phone in one convienent device.

Invention: The Automobile

The Automobile
Created in 1769
By: Nicholas Joseph Cugnot

 

The Automobile was created in 1769 by Nicholas Joseph Cugnot. Originally it was steam-powered, and it was the very first self-propelled road vehicle in the world. Prior to the automobile, people traveled, or transported goods by wagon, using animals, or by walking. All of those types of transportation have flaws that were fixed by the automobile. Now, people didnt have to walk long distances, or have to rely on animals to do most of the transporting. It made life a lot easier because you could travel farther, and faster than you ever could before and caused less stress in the lives of the people.

If we didnt have the automobile today, we wouldnt be able to do most of the things that we do today. We couldnt go on vacations across the country as fast as we can today, or buy as much food or clothes that we need because we wouldnt be able to carry all of it in one trip, like we can with the car. The car made our lives better in so many different aspects that we dont even realize yet, im pretty sure that if everyone had their cars taken away, they would have to change their lives completely. Our lives nowadays are centered around getting from place to place, and without the automobile, we wouldnt be able to get to places as efficiently as we can today.

Maker Faire Flier

Want to see the newest, most advanced products? Come check out the Maker Faire.

For other information, and a map of the faire, download the Maker Faire app for free at makerfaire.com/app

Saturday September 21 10am. – 7pm. & Sunday September 22 10am. – 6pm.

Flushing Meadows, Queens The New York Hall of Science

Tickets: Adults (18-61): $35 Seniors (62+): $30 Students: $25 (with ID) Youth (2-7): $20 Kids (under 2): Free

Another cool invention is the self -guide golf club carrier.

Check out the Lawnbot400, which is an automatic lawnmower that mows the lawn by itself.

 Egg Bot
By: Bruce Shapiro

The Cubinator
By: Sarah Kessler

Propane-Powered Fireball Gun
By: Vin Marshall