Slow Roller Project
The slow roller project focused solely on the function aspect of engineering. A lightweight device had to be built that could steadily roll down a ramp the slowest. There was a wide variety of materials allowed to be used in this project, including wood, metal, plastic, paper, cardboard, rubber bands, glue, string/thread, tape, and paper clips. The ramp itself was a wooden stick about three feet long and one inch wide.
The device had to fit the following criteria or it was disqualified:
The grading for this project was based on how efficient the device was compared to others in the class, as well as whether or not it fit the criteria. The efficiency was calculated by dividing the time the device took to roll down the ramp by the mass of the device.
The device had to fit the following criteria or it was disqualified:
- Total mass must not exceed 200 grams
- The device must be able to fit in a 30 cm cube
- The device must not slide at any time while rolling down the ramp
- Each part of the device must be in the same motion
- Wet glue or the sticky side of tape may not contact the ramp
The grading for this project was based on how efficient the device was compared to others in the class, as well as whether or not it fit the criteria. The efficiency was calculated by dividing the time the device took to roll down the ramp by the mass of the device.
For the Slow Roller project, I knew that I would need to build and test several models before the actual testing. I knew that lightweight objects would have higher efficiency, so all the designs I tested were made primarily of index cards. I also made each design have a relatively small axle, so that the device would have to complete more revolutions to cover the same distance than one with a larger axle. In addition, each design had two circular discs at each end of the axle to create a uniform center of balance, which would keep the device from falling off of the ramp. I tested four different models - one with a hollow plastic axle, one with a pipe cleaner wrapped around the axle, one with small discs, and one with a paper axle. I chose the one with the paper axle to perform in the final test, because it rolled down the ramp the slowest out of the four models that I had tested.
My take-away from this project was the importance of testing multiple solutions, not just one. Because I had several models to test and collect performance data from, I was able to select the best one and earn a good grade on this project.
My take-away from this project was the importance of testing multiple solutions, not just one. Because I had several models to test and collect performance data from, I was able to select the best one and earn a good grade on this project.
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