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Random Marble Physics

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Garebear
Posts: 378 - Karma: 4,908
So in Engineering class in school, we were asked to build a marble run, similarly like the one pictured below, that would keep the marble rolling the longest. The run was built using one board with rows/columns of holes, pegs, and rubber bands, and the marble would roll on the rubber bands. So far the longest time was 35 seconds on a board like this:

Click for larger image

Does anybody know how you can build the run to keep the marble rolling the longest?
Oct 13 2013 12:55PM
21 8
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nacho.steez
Posts: 435 - Karma: 136
Have it go back and forth all the way with little vertical drop each time

Oct 13 2013 1:14PM
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whoa-dere
Posts: 10596 - Karma: 7,103
jumps?
Oct 13 2013 1:19PM
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I_Am_Mod
Posts: 13214 - Karma: 3,753
are you allowed to tinker with how the rubber bands are attached to the individual pegs?

Oct 13 2013 1:20PM
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LoathesRaisins
Posts: 3612 - Karma: 4,735
Can you use a board with more holes?
Oct 13 2013 1:45PM
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theBearJew
Posts: 10951 - Karma: 15,633
this. marble physics is now aerials.
Oct 13 2013 1:55PM
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PoLaRpEaK
Posts: 439 - Karma: 555
This has to be the easiest thing ever.
Oct 13 2013 1:59PM
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90053
Posts: 2565 - Karma: 3,728
make more turns, the long stretches allows the marble to build moment
Oct 13 2013 2:49PM
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gotti
Posts: 4269 - Karma: 4,550
What kind of pussy engineering class are you in
Oct 13 2013 3:41PM
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DIPED_IN_SAUCE
Posts: 858 - Karma: 2,256
Middle School engineering?
Oct 13 2013 4:13PM
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chicken
Posts: 6843 - Karma: 2,123
is there a fixed number of pegs/bands that you need to use?
Oct 13 2013 4:49PM
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CheddarJack
Posts: 5203 - Karma: 7,380
I'd have to put some thought into it but the first thing that I thought of would be to angle the walls so that the marble bounces back up the inclines that it rolls down but leave a small gap in between the wall and the incline so that it's going too fast to fall through the first time and maybe the second. Also play with the tightness of the bands to make them the most bouncy. That seems like a fun little contest though.
Oct 13 2013 6:52PM
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Anathema
Posts: 21048 - Karma: 5,061
you could probably find a way to infinite loop it by just having a steep ass hill leading down to an elastic band, making sort of a trampoline, and bouncing it straight back up to the top of the steep ass hill again..
Oct 13 2013 7:26PM
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chicken
Posts: 6843 - Karma: 2,123
perpetual motion? good luck with that one.
Oct 13 2013 7:34PM
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123+ski
Posts: 2832 - Karma: 581
make it go back and forth, but then have it go up at the end. If it doesn't make sense, it should look like a bunch of sideways J's, this will slow it down more. You might also be able to have it drop at the beginning and then have it bounce most of the way back, and then have it go down a track like the one I described. This would be my idea for the best solution, but you might be able to look it up as it is a fairly common problem.
Oct 13 2013 7:44PM
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TOAST.
Posts: 7482 - Karma: 36,057
Run along the width of the board at different with very slight incline, flats, and uphills.
Oct 13 2013 8:24PM
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