First, we are to build a structure with 5 components to off an alarm clock.Imagine one big big machine just to off one small pathetic alarm clock, when the alarm clock is just a slam away. =s Each components will carry out on motion.
The 5 motions are:
1. Rotating (under a fixed axis)
2. Falling under gravity through air
3. Oscillating ( 1 full period)
4. Sliding
5 Rolling
It seems easy, but with a few extra rules, it just kills the fun from this experiment. First, no motion can be repeated. 2nd, only one motion can be executed at one time. 3rd, only ONE object for One motion. 4th, everything must be limited to a 1m x 1m space. 1m might seem long, but when you have a box which is already half a meter, 1m is just damn bloody small. 5th, is the worst rule, the whole thing must be at least 20 seconds. It was the longest 20 second of everyone's life. We had to try to lengthen our motions to fullfill the 20 sec.
Our first one took a pathetic 5 sec to complete all 5 motions. We were just worried, how the hell are you going to make it 20 sec? it is impossible! We modified our whole structure, actually i will reconsider it rebuild. It took us the whole weekend.
This was our initial track for the sliding.
Then we changed the whole track
This was our initial large cone, where the marble was suppose to roll and roll and roll till the bottom
But the time was not long enough, and the cone was damn bloody large, so we changed to pipe. Wrapping it around the box.
So from our big big big structure, which is as 'tall' as me, and requires a ladder
we build something till around me shoulder.
I know the structure is quite ugly, but we used everything we had at home. My mother called our structure raw, saying we reuse all the material, when we are to build our own structure, with woods, bamboo and yada yada yada. But who cares, ours work well. It was a success!
Overview of the structure.
