Rube Goldberg's Storm
Our granddaughter, Brigitte, calls her mechanical engineering grandpa about a week ago and asks him if he will help her with a physics project. Oh, yes, she's probably known about it all term but there's only two weeks left and we're down to the wire here. It's a Rube Goldberg strike a match to light a candle contraption using all eight simple tools: spring, inclined plane, screw, wheel, pulley, wedge, hinge, and lever. Being an honor student, she has to use 12 tools and can use each one no more than twice. Extinguishing the candle had to be part of the design because a girl caught her hair on fire one year. Brigitte plans to use a spray bottle.
They decide Brigitte will drop by each day after school and they will work on it. Since she has a debate meet on Friday and Saturday, that only gives them four days.
Monday is just a planning session. In the meantime, Grandpa goes to a neighbor's to use his equipment to cut the boards. Tuesday they settle down to work.
On Wednesday, Brigitte's dad decides he better get involved. This is a much bigger project than anyone anticipated. Amy comes up with splendid ideas, dredging up all sorts of paraphernalia like musical marbles and Votive candles with holders; while Grandpa and Dad continue to improve the design.
Before putting anything together, they test the match striking.
Then Mother Nature steals the show. It takes Amy three hours and 20 minutes to get home on Thursday night (at 5 mph more or less). Fortunately, she didn't get stuck until she hit our driveway.
It snowed and snowed and snowed. All Davis County schools were closed; all government and city offices were closed in Davis County except the Fire and Police Departments.
Brigitte's debate meet is cancelled. Friday is a Snow Day but who can get out of their driveway? Amy isn't about to venture out even though her school located in West Valley City isn't closed.
More snow forecast for Friday afternoon. Did it ever stop?
Friday, we get the lake effect. More snow than the ski resorts. Amy loved having ski access from our garage.
DeRay blew a path from our house across the street to do the neighbor's walks, who are out of town.
Saturday around noon, they reconvene to complete this project. "It probably will take about two more hours," DeRay projects.
Ready?
The match didn't strike. The very first thing they tested. Back to the drawing board. Fourteen 15-second + videos of failure . . .
7 PM
And then . . . .!
5 comments:
Brilliant! Whose great ideas made it all work??? "Funnel"y enough it was my cutting of the 2 liter bottles that were the most impressive addition. Aren't you glad to have your kitchen back?
OK Rube Goldburg fans. Great job, but it's Rube Goldberg.
There's always an editor in the group. THANK HEAVENS!! Thank you. Now if I could just get into my blog to change it. Computer acting up again.
Did you notice I had it spelled right in the first paragraph? That makes me only half an idiot. What did you think of our Big Snow, DeLoy? Grandpa Esplin died on the day of the big snow in 1936. Our sister,Lucy, died on the day of the Big Snow 2013.
I regret to report that on the day of the grade, the match didn't strike. Grandpa still hasn't recovered from the failure. Later when Isaak set it up at home, the matches struck alright, but he didn't have them wedged in tight enough and they flew out burning their beautiful laminated floor instead of lighting the candle. A pox on Rube Goldberg.
Post a Comment