Energy Conversion

Team Project 4:EF 151

Group Members:

• Axl Rose• Frank Ferrer• Ron Thal• Dizzy Reed• Robin Finck

• Purpose: To use energy conversions to light up a “pine branch” (a small one) in celebration of the upcoming holiday.

• This device uses elastic potential energy, gravitational potential energy, and kinetic energy in order to flip the switch on the battery pack and light up the tree.

Step 1: Elastic Potential Energy

• This step uses a rubber-band shooter to launch a marble through the tube of the launcher itself.

Step 2: Gravitational Potential Energy

• This step uses the ball launched in the last step to knock over a wooden block, thus causing rollerblade wheel (attached to a horizontal pole by a string) to fall and swing the circumference of the circle.

Step 3: Elastic Potential Energy

• This step uses the motion of the wheel in the previous step to knock loose a wooden stick, therefore allowing the elastic energy of a rubber-band to turn a fan.

Step 4:Gravitational Potential Energy

• In this step, the turning fan from the last step pushes one side of a “seesaw” with a car balanced on it, causing the car to roll down the newly created incline.

Step 5: Kinetic Energy

• The car from the last step then rides down the ramp and hits the pad on a mousetrap, activating the trap.

Step 6: Elastic Potential Energy

• In this step, the mousetrap’s springs activate and cause the bar, which has a wire attached to it, to flip over and touch the base, with another wire attached to it, causing the wires to touch each other.

Step 7: The FINALE!!

• The wires then touch, turning on the light, thus lighting up our branch.

DEMONSTRATION

• We will now demonstrate “The Self-Lighting Christmas Tree” for you!!!!

Energy Conversions• Step 1: Elastic Potential Kinetic

to• Step 2: Gravitational Potential

Kineticto

• Step 3: Elastic Potential Kineticto

• Step 4: Gravitational Potential Kinetic

Energy Conversions (cont’d)

• Step 5:Kinetic Energy Elastic Potential

to • Step 6: Elastic Potential

Gravitational Potential

Conclusions

• Our project works, okay, but with more time it could be much more efficient.