Rube Goldberg Project
Students in my Science Enrichment class design and build a Rube Goldberg machine. Rube Goldberg was a scientist who designed machines that followed a chain reaction. Similar to Dominos, one “step” would push, tap, bump into, etc. the next step and keep the momentum going until finally some task was completed. In our class, the task is to move any size ball over a distance of a foot.
Simple Machines
One requirement of the Rube Goldberg machine, is that the students include at least three simple machines. There are six simple machines total. Before we start on the Rube Goldberg creations, we must first learn about the six simple machines. The students participate in a WebQuest and research about the six simple machines. They work in group, with each group becoming an expert of one simple machine. The students then create a website to help educate their peers. The students designed and presented their websites in class. You can view their creations for yourself by clicking the links below!