Exploring Robotics with Electronics: Simulations Activity Worksheet

Activity 04: da Vinci’s cart and Gear Reduction

Name: Date:

Class:Teacher:

By the time students complete this section they will be able to:

  1. Explore the concepts of gears using a simulation of da Vinci’s cart.
  2. Demonstrate understanding of the concepts of Gear reduction
  3. Demonstrate use of some of the advanced tools in the simulation environment.
  4. Demonstrate understanding of diameter, circumference, and gear reduction calculations.

Points:(Your instructor will fill this in after reviewing the worksheet.)

Earned ____ out of ___ total points

Assignments Checklist:

Put an X in Done for item as it is completed. Your instructor will assign any Points when reviewing the worksheet.

Done / Points / Description
  1. Read and follow the instructions.

  1. View the videos, demonstrations and other links.

  1. Open Sketchup and run the simulation for this activity.

  1. Answer Observation questions in this worksheet.

  1. Send this completed worksheet to your instructor.

TOTAL POINTS

Observations: Fill in the answers after each question.

  1. Calculate Turns Ratio - How many rotations of the wheels on the cart occur during 1 full rotation of the large gear? (hint look at the red spoke on the wheel) This is the ratio of rotation of the large gear to the rotation of the wheel. Is the number of rotations constant? In other words no matter how many times the large gear rotates, do you always get the same value for wheel rotations?
  1. What is the Diameter of the large top gear? What is the Diameter of the wheel on the cart?
  1. What is the Gear Ratio for the large wheel to the wheel on the cart? (gear diameter/wheel diameter)
  1. What is the Gear Reduction of the large wheel to the wheel on the cart?? (input:output)
  1. What is the Circumference of the wheel? (Pi or (3.14) x wheel diameter)
  1. Davinci’s cart was designed to measure distances – such as the distance from one town to another. What is the distance traveled by the cart for every time the main gear turns all the way around one time? (Turns Ratio * Circumference of wheel)
  1. If you were to use Davinci’s cart and replace the gear mechanisms with a motor operating at 2,000 RPMs attached to the shaft of the wheel, what would be the speed of the cart in MPH? (wheel diameter x motor RPMs / 336)

ER Simulations Lesson 04 Worksheet1/10/13 Page | 1