Simple Machines Blog

Chris Geimke                                                                                                                                12/9/13

Simple Machines



In the simple machines project, we made four different machines that complete four different tasks. All of these machines had one task in common, they were supposed to make it easier to pull a weight on it. we did this because we wanted to see how we can make things esier with machines that we make in the beginning. first we built the machine to have an effective machanical advantage. then, we marked where the weight would go or where Mr. Adkins would be pulling from (depending on what machine) lastly, we tested the machines to see which ones were effective and which were not. then we calculated the percent efficiency of the machines to see how well they did. 

This is the LEVER. Jack and I worked on this.

This is the INCLINED PLANE. Jack and I worked on it.














 



This is the WHEEL AND AXEL. Jack and I built it.
 
This is the PULLEY. me and Jack built most of it. Tyler helped with the wheels.

 

Out of the six groups, me, Jack, and Tyler placed 2nd place overall, while Rob's group placed 1st overall. for the pulley, we placed last, with Matt's group at -43%, because of our second attached wheel. Rob's group placed 1st in this. nobody else was able to qualify for this challenge. for the wheel and axel, my group placed 5th. the 1st place group was Rob's group. for the inclined plane, we placed last for it, because of the steepness of our's. Ricky's group got 1st for the inclined plane. Lastly, for the lever, we placed 2nd. 1st place was Rob's group again.

 

My group didn't reach 100% efficiency. I think this was because of our inclined plane being so steep and our wheel and axel not having the piece to turn it in the right spot. for the pulley, our second wheel was attached, meaning that the length of the string wasn't reduced making it harder to pull on the pulley. If my group could go back and redo the machines or fix them, first I would make the second pulley wheel hang free. then, I would put the piece of the wheel and axel in a better spot to help it turn for a better mechanical advantage. for the lever, I would make better markings to put the nails closer to the center and to pull down on the opposite side on the very end. Lastly, I would make a much less steeper inclined plane, to pull it a lot more easily. overall, I think my group did well.