Rube Goldberg Machines
This unit in Physics, students are taking on the classic challenge of building a Rube Goldberg machine! As the students have learned, Rube Goldberg was a cartoonist who drew complex machines that turned simple tasks, like using a napkin during dinner or squeezing the tube of toothpaste, into multi-step, interactive experiences. While Rube Goldberg’s ideas started on paper, they have morphed into an annual competition to see just how complex teams can make a simple task. Clemente students will be competing in their classes to make these same machines in order to accomplish the very practical task of catching a mouse (a toy one, of course!) To prepare for their Rube Goldberg extravaganza, students have been engaging with simple machines and how to manipulate them to their benefit. Through labs, students have built simple machines and then discover how changing parts of them make work easier or harder. They have also had the opportunity to build virtual Rube Goldbergs in online design labs; students tirelessly worked on perfecting their virtual Rube Goldbergs in puzzling, fun scenarios. With all the exploration into simple machines, the Physics team looks forward to some innovative and impressive creations!