The Fortune Teller

Tyler Huber, Hanya Senno, Jody Dykes, and Jessica

Millsaps

OUR IDEA:After eating at

P.F. Chang’s, we were too lazy to break

open the fortune cookie

ourselves. We designed the

Fortune Teller to do it for us.

The Fortune Teller is a Rube-Goldberg device that breaks a fortune cookie open in order to see the fortune inside. It is a simple device consisting of a chain of events that lead to a mallet being knocked down to break open the fortune cookie.

How It works

Measurements

Calculations• Wooden ball to marble

– Calculate velocity of wooden ball as it hits the marble• 1/2mvi 2 + mghi=1/2mvf2 + mghf

– Givens: vi =0 ft/sec, hi=7 in (or .583 ft), hf=.5 in (or .042 ft), and m=6.2*10-5 slugs

– vf = 3.67*10-4 ft/sec.

• Marble to wooden blocks– Calculate velocity of marble when it first moves down

the ramp• m1v1 + m2v2 = m1v1′ + m2v2′

– Givens: m1= mass of ball=6.2*10-5 slugs, v1= 3.67*10-4 ft/sec, m2=mass of marble=.0011 slugs, v2=0 ft/sec and v1′= 0 ft/sec

– velocity of the marble v2′ = 2.035 *10-5 ft/sec

Calculations• Marble to wooden block

– Calculate velocity at which the marble hits the wooden block

• (1/2mvi 2 + mghi=1/2mvf2 + mghf) – Givens: vi=2.035 *10-5 ft/sec, hi=18.25 in (1.52 ft), hf =14.5

in (or 1.21 ft), and m= .0011 slugs – vf= .0049 ft/sec

• Velocity of wooden block after it is hit– (m1v1 + m2v2 = m1v1′ + m2v2′)– Givens: m1=mass of marble=.0011slugs, v1=.0049 ft/sec,

m2=mass of wooden block=7.45*10-3 slugs, v2=0 ft/sec, and v1′=0 ft/sec

– v2′=.0072 ft/sec

– Assume that velocity is constant throughout the domino effect

Calculations• Boot to mallet

– (m1v1 + m2v2 = m1v1′ + m2v2′)– Givens: m1=mass of the boot=.003 slugs, v1=.0072

ft/sec, m2=mass of mallet=.039 slugs, v2=0 ft/sec, and v1′=0 ft/sec

– v2′= 5.64*10-4 ft/sec

“Money, Money, Money”aka Expenses

• The bill of materials for this project consists of wood, costing around $6, paint ($7), and the mallet ($2). Total cost $15

• All other materials were obtained from our previous possessions and the fortune cookies were given to us for free.

Conclusion

• Overall, we were successful in creating a working Rube-Goldberg device.

• Problems we incurred during the project included finding a way to create a heavy enough mass on the boot for it to knock the mallet over and creating a strong foundation to hold the mallet.

• Another problem we came upon after building the device was that the distance between the mallet and boot was a little too close. – We solved this by adding paper in between the

mallet and its back support.

*Random Pictures of our group*

We love engineering! Can’t you tell?

WHAT A STUDLY ENGINEERING

TA!!