Chapter 2 - Playing With Gears

This chapter consisted of several concepts: angular velocity, force, torque, friction and gear ratios. The chapter also introduced gears and other parts that are able to maximize a robot’s capability – making robots able to perform specific tasks that of which needs certain parts in order to be accomplished. I say the highlight of this chapter is “torque” as it is what makes robots capable of performing task that involve force and weight; additionally, there are ways to control/adjust torque and at the same time, avoid any disasters – clutch gear, belts and pulleys are some of the main objects in the kit that is able to prevent any harm that might come to your robot. In addition to the highlight, gear ratio is another important aspect when building a robot. Gear ratios can mean a lot to a project depending on what the given task is and needs - e.g. speed, strength, etc. From what I know, there are simple aspects of gear ratio that give away its primary purpose - e.g. A setting with a large driving gear and a small driven gear maximizes a robot's speed (The reason why is pretty simple once you think it out. With a smaller driven gear the axle is able to spin faster due to the gear's smaller circumference.) , while a setting with a small driving gear and a large driven gear maximizes its strength capability.

"Common Gear Sense"

*Gear Ratio = driven/driving

E.g.

5:1 (larger driven gear than driving gear) = strength

1:5 (smaller driven than driving gear) = speed

1:1 (same size) = -----

In my opinion, this chapter is interesting as it will help us in the near future with our projects. “Not boring, Just complex”