Circular to Linear Task

[Primate]

Would a fan work as circular motion that blows a marble forward?? Technically the motion of the fan is circular and you are changing another objects motion to linear??

Yep! See, the difference is, you're harnessing the energy and the undoubtedly circular motion of the fan to move the car forward, linearly.

He didn't say car, he said marble. I would think a car is much safer than a marble, because parts of it are moving linearly. I would not be at all confident that any rolling object would qualify as linear.

Oh good call, I completely missed that. Well, so long as the object's position is changing (in one direction only, of course), I feel like it should qualify. But you're right, a car is safer.

[SPChroshaw]

Would having a non-geared motor winding a string that pulled a mass count? The rotation of the motor is the circular motion and the forward movement of the mass is linear motion.

[Primate]

Would having a non-geared motor winding a string that pulled a mass count? The rotation of the motor is the circular motion and the forward movement of the mass is linear motion.

That's a winch, so yep.

[sciencegirl23]

Would a fan work as circular motion that blows a marble forward?? Technically the motion of the fan is circular and you are changing another objects motion to linear??

Yep! See, the difference is, you're harnessing the energy and the undoubtedly circular motion of the fan to move the car forward, linearly.

I used this as my circular to linear step and they wouldn't accept it

[KNielsen]

Another device that could be used is a rubber band or string suspending a weight. The band could be twisted enough so that it contracts upward while hanging onto the weight. When released, the string or band would uncoil (circular motion) and would drop down (linear). This would eliminate the need for gear ratios and hoping a judge interprets the rules as you did.

[Flavorflav]

I put this in as a clarification but I haven't heard back yet and I am burning to get an opinion, so I will ask for an advisory opinion from you all: does a device have to complete a full rotation to be considered circular motion? Tmanneo asked this back in September, but I think I was the only one who weighed in. My feeling is that anything swinging around a pivot for any distance would count. What do you think?

[JTMess]

We are using two different objects like a motor turning in circular motion in order to pull a mass in linear motion.

[Primate]

I put this in as a clarification but I haven't heard back yet and I am burning to get an opinion, so I will ask for an advisory opinion from you all: does a device have to complete a full rotation to be considered circular motion? Tmanneo asked this back in September, but I think I was the only one who weighed in. My feeling is that anything swinging around a pivot for any distance would count. What do you think?

I think the duck test works well here. When you look at the device, you should be able to go "oh wow, circular to linear!" without having to think about it.

I still highly recommend using a winch. No gearing, you'll make dozens of rotations, and it's clearly circular to linear.

[missionimpossible]

Soooo....
A fan knocking over a piece of wood works...

[Flavorflav]

Yeah, but that's the moving air task. You going to do it twice?