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  Kinetic to Step 3: Elastic Potential  Kinetic to 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.