Team UReekuhPresents:

Members: John Bickers, Sean Robinson, Ryan Staggs

The Windmill of Fortune: A Brief OverviewA balancing weight is knocked over; triggering a marble that zooms down ramps onto a mousetrap car.

The mousetrap car then speeds into a column that is creating tension in the wound windmill.

When the column falls, the windmill releases and the flag is lofted high into the air.

The Events of Energy Transfer

1. The precariously balanced mass falls from its lofted position, in turn, raising a smaller mass of wood connected via string.

2. The rising mass of wood bumps our marble sending it down the three ramps.

3. The marble falls onto the mousetrap car causing it to accelerate into a pillar of wood.

4. The pillar of wood, that happens to be supporting our windmill, is knocked away causing the windmill to release.

5. When the windmill releases, it spins around causing our attached flag to rise into the air.

Construction

• Problems we faced:– It was difficult to keep our windmill standing up.

• When over-wound it can certainly put out some torque.– It was challenging adapting our design to work with other

groups contraptions. – Pulling the trigger of our Nerf gun.

• How we fixed them:– Completely eliminated the Nerf gun!– It took trial and error to keep the windmill standing. After

splitting many pieces of wood with screws, we finally got it solid.

…and some destruction

Conclusions

Cost of materials• Scraps of wood, pipe, and string- ~$8• K’nex- Free (via Santa Claus, Christmas of ‘99)• Nails, Screws, Mousetrap - $5• Marbles- $5

Cost of being completely inefficient and complicated while accomplishing a very simple

task= ~$18