Puzzle Cube project
Define a problem
Generate concepts
I found all of my measurements by using a device called a dial caliper, which measures an object to the ten thousandth of an inch. The reason I measured all of the cubes, is because I needed to create the most accurate histogram that I could, and using a dial caliper to do that helped me the histogram to be very accurate on its data of the measurements of the cubes.
Acceptable range means the standard deviation from the mean of a specific set of numbers. For example, I calculated the Acceptable range by subtracting the maximum from the minimum and doing that I got the Standard Deviation. After that I subtracted and added the standard deviation to the mean to get a range of numbers. That range of numbers is what is called the acceptable range.
These sketches are all isometric sketches because they are showing a more realistic view of the object then a oblique sketch would. The reason I made these sketches was to use them to come up with the final pieces that would be on my puzzle cube which is shown on the bottom of the picture. I also used them to help myself get a more clearer understanding of how the puzzle cube was going to look and how I was going to fit all the pieces together to make a cube. So making these sketches helped me create the pieces that I am now using on my puzzle cube and how to get a clear view of how the cube will work as a puzzle.
Develop a solution
Build and test prototype
The degrees of freedom is the freedom that an object is allowed to move, for example up, down, left, right, forward, and backward. To eliminate all the degrees of freedom the puzzle pieces had, I decided to flush all the pieces to every other piece multiple times on every face of the puzzle cube. By doing this the independent pieces of the cube cannot move unless every other puzzle piece moves with it which won't happen since those pieces are flushed against other puzzle pieces. So by doing that I eliminated all of the degrees of freedom the puzzle pieces had in my puzzle cube.
Evaluate the solution
Time to solve the puzzle cube
Dad- Time=35.07 seconds
Mom- Time=4.42 minutes
Brother- Time=5.21 minutes
Nate- Time=2.47 minutes
Kevin- Time=3.04 minutes
Dog- Time= N/A
Mom- Time=4.42 minutes
Brother- Time=5.21 minutes
Nate- Time=2.47 minutes
Kevin- Time=3.04 minutes
Dog- Time= N/A
To change my puzzle cube I would lower the number of puzzle pieces since 6 pieces are too easy to solve as a puzzle. I would also design more complex puzzle pieces for a greater challenge to adults.
Present solution
Creating the histogram was, to me, the hardest part of making the project. The reason I am saying this is because to make the histogram you need to know how to create the mean, minimum, maximum, standard deviation, bins, etc. And all of that is just to create a single graph that states the frequency of the same numbers in your data. Making the sketches for the puzzle cube was pretty fun because I got my first glance at what my puzzle cube would look like, and seeing that made me want to keep creating more and more sketches and possibilities and see how many I could actually create, although I only did 20 different sketches. Making the puzzle cube and coloring was actually harder then I thought it would be. If you would mess up on the coloring of the life size cubes and change the color of a cube or the entire puzzle piece, you would need to go back to your drawings and flip-book and re-color them to make them match in color. I did mess up on the coloring part so I had to re-create my flip-book and colored sketches. I decided to go with 6 puzzle pieces because I wanted to experiment and see if solving a 6 piece puzzle cube is easier or harder then solving a 5 piece puzzle cube. Based on my data and my friend's data a 5 piece puzzle cube is harder to solve then a 6 piece puzzle cube. My dad solved my cube in less then 40 seconds, where my friends mom took 9 minutes to solve their puzzle cube, but it could also depend on the way the cube is created, by means of if it has more then 1 solution. Doing the explosion and 3D parts was challenging also because I didn't know how to create them, so I needed to use time to learn how to create everything, and I could have used this time to go further ahead and then come back and touch up things that need to be fixed. But over all I believe created a pretty good puzzle cube, I will probably sand some of the edges down and then re-color it after the project is graded. My dog however couldn't solve it so I think I accomplished my goal of having a person give up on solving the cube, my dog gave up after a couple seconds of looking at it.