Vertical Marble Run (VMR)

Disclaimer: No Red-eyed tree frogs named Otis were harmed in the making of this marble run.

I think the power of this concept is in the timing. If you print a few pieces in advance you can spend a day or two exploring on a bulletin board or blackboard. Spend a week and change the objective each day (timing, speed, accuracy, collaboration...). Or just 'run' with it and spend two months and counting designing custom pieces and perfecting the design.

A long term, multidisciplinary collaborative project. Students experience the engineering design process from start to finish. The OVERWHELMING enthusiasm from the students has been the single driving force behind the development of this project and, indeed, the creation of it. There might just be an uprising (thumbtacks and marbles O my!) if I dare interrupt this project with a quiz or test. The students have been more focused than I could have hoped.

The goal of the project, simply stated, is to create a marble run that mounts entirely on a large bulletin board. The bulletin board is divided into equal sections and each student is randomly assigned to one section(after much collective practice). Students are required to create their own custom pieces that demonstrate the mechanical advantage of one of the six classical simple machines.

In addition to the physical marble run students conduct experiments and create presentations about simple machines as the project progresses. They record audio presentations that discuss the design process and, of course, teach visitors about simple machines. The audio presentations are triggered by various buttons controlled by a raspberry pi. The audio box and other electronic components are being designed and built by my high school engineering class.

In addition to the included pdf here is a link to the document that will update in real time as we continue to develop the project:

https://www.overleaf.com/read/npmjjjgwxysb

You can drag the center bar so you don't have to look at the code. If you download the PDF from the link the hyperlinks/references are clickable and will take you directly to the site.

The project is in its final phase. Students are perfecting their custom pieces and the board is sectioned off so each student is responsible for their own section. Students must communicate with their neighbors in order for the entire marble run to work seamlessly.