Gizmo 2
Overview:
Build a gizmo out of cardboard, brass fasteners, rubber bands, and string, which can move at least one pencil across a two foot “river.” Also the pencil must be kept at least six inches above the river. The pencil must begin on the ground on one bank and end on the other bank and be powered by the drop of a marble. Miniumal use of materials results in a larger reward.
My experience:
I built my gizmo using the original rules of not using any counterweight and also made the entire gizmo with no string or rubber bands. With these additional constraints I placed on the project it took quite a long time to construct a working gizmo, and required numerous iterations. I wound up going with a long lever arm which lifted two pencils up to a ramp which carried the pencil across the river to a catcher on the other side. From this I learned that starting work early is definitely a good idea, because if I had not I definitely could not have completed the project to the level that I did. I learned a lot about working with cardboard and after trying very completed initial designs I found that simple is definitely better in short term projects.