Rube Goldberg
Grade Level: All Grades
Prebuild Event
Description
Carry out a simple task in the most complicated way possible. Teams pick their own task from the list below:
- Have the marble roll from a platform into a cup on the floor.
- Have a pendulum hit a gong.
- Have (a) student(s) save their teacher from a tower
Participants
Teams of three to six.
Rules
- Teams have 45 minutes to make the most complicated machine from the materials they bring.
- The machine must occupy a maximum area of 2.00m x 4.00m.
- Prebuilding or preparation of the materials is permitted, but teams cannot bring a fully complete apparatus.
Judging
- Points are awarded in the following ways:
- 1 point for each event or action in the Rube Goldberg machine;
- 5 points for successfully achieving the Objective;
- Up to 5 points for aesthetic appeal;
- Up to 5 points for creativity in events or actions;
- 1 point for each different principle of physics employed; and
- 1 point for each unique recycled item (e.g., a Pepsi can and a Coke can would not count as unique, but a can would be unique to a plastic bottle).
- Deductions:
- 2 points deducted for each assistance beyond the first. For example, if a marble doesn’t hit the correct target, to continue the cascade of events in the machine, a team member touching the apparatus to hit the intended target an assist;
- 10 Points will be deducted from the final team score if a visible footprint of their presence is still detectable 20 minutes after the end of the competition(clean up your mess!); and
- If a part of the machine fails, the team can restart it once without penalty. If subsequent restarts are required, 5 points are deducted per restart.
- A bonus of five points will be awarded if the machine runs perfectly twice (i.e., first and second runs)
Materials
Teams must bring their own materials
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Examples of materials that can be used include: |
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| Balloons | Textbooks | ||
| Toy car | Empty pop cans and water bottles | ||
| Clothes pins | Marbles - small | ||
| Dominos | Masking Tape | ||
| Drinking cups | Playing cards | ||
| Drinking straws | Popsicle sticks | ||
| Marbles - big | Scissors | ||
| Bristol Board | String | ||
| Chopsticks | Tennis ball | ||
| Pulleys | Rulers | ||
Materials cannot use electricity to function and must be safe to use. Use of unplugged or uncharged battery powered items is permitted.
