Rube Goldberg Machine

What is a Rube Goldberg Machine?

A Rube Goldberg machine is a machine that contains multiple complex steps in order to complete a simple task. Each step produces a domino effect in which each step causes the next one. The machine was named after American cartoonist Rube Goldberg. The most famous example of the Rube Goldberg machine is the "self-operating napkin".

The task

My STEM group, Jaden, Bella and I, were given the task to construct a Rube Goldberg machine in 10 days. Our theme for the Rube Goldberg machine was LEGO. We involved real LEGO bricks, and a story of a man getting home and going to sleep in our project. The goal is to create an operable and functional Rube Goldberg machine that consists of at least 10 steps, 4 different energy transfers, and 5 unique simple machines. The task is to make an easy task difficult and intricate in more steps.

Final Product

We were very satisfied with our final product. It consisted of 10 steps, with the final step being a light turning off. On the board, I cut out and drilled on the ramps and the light. I also helped design the LEGO bricks and figured out how to make the marble turn off the light switch. I calculated all the physics in the machine, such as velocity, mechanical advantage, and acceleration due to gravity. I created the 10 Step Slides on the Google Slide Presentation. The main features of our machine were the LEGO bricks, the lever, and the lights.

Velocity (v) - The rate at which something travels. This is calculated by dividing distance by time. The unit is meters per second (m/s).

Acceleration (a) - The rate at which something changes velocity. This is calculated by dividing velocity by time. The unit is meters per second squared (m/s^2).

Acceleration due to Gravity (g) - The rate at which something changes velocity due to gravity. This value is always 9.8m/s^2.

Force (F) - The push or pull on an object. This is calculated by multiplying mass by acceleration. The unit is newtons (N)

Potential Energy (PE) - The amount of energy in an object at rest. This is calculated by multiplying mass, height, and acceleration. The unit is joules (J).

Kinetic Energy (KE) - The amount of energy in an object in motion. This is calculated by multiplying half of the mass to the velocity squared (1/2mv^2). The unit is joules (J).

Energy Transfer - The transition from one type of energy to another.

Mechanical Advantage - There are two types of mechanical advantage: ideal and real. Ideal is how much further you push using a tool, and real is how much easier (less Force) a tool makes something. This has no unit since it's a ratio.

Simple Machine - A basic device that makes an objective easier. There are 6 types: lever, wedge, screw, wheel and axle, pulley, and inclined plane.