High School: Rube Goldberg - Engineering Gone Amuck
ENG-90033
We’ve all seen the crazy chain-reaction contraptions called Rube Goldberg machines. Explore the creative side of engineering by designing and building your own Rube Goldberg devices.
We will start with a broad look at the principles of mechanics and design and go over measurement and hand-tool use. Then, students will design and build interactive machines where a simple push starts a chain reaction of pulleys, dominoes and so much more. As the week progresses, our designs will become more complex, culminating in a grand finale chain reaction on the last day. Ultimately, we will see how these devices, which waste time and energy to accomplish simple tasks, can be a vehicle for engineering ingenuity and artistic expression.
What You Will Learn
Students in High School: Rube Goldberg Engineering will:
- Receive safety instruction
- Learn the basics of mechanics and thermodynamics
- Gain an understanding of what a chain reaction is and why we want to learn about this concept
- Design and experiment with mechanisms for transferring energy from one place to another
- Learn about hypothesis testing and the scientific method
- Take a historical look at failure and examine how failure has led to success
- Design, build and test a variety of Rube Goldberg machines
Course Information
Course sessions
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All class meetings held in-person according to published location, dates and times. Students may be expected to engage with course content online during the published course dates.
Textbooks:
All course materials are included unless otherwise stated.
Policies:
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Instructor:
Sasha Carter
BS in Earth Science, PhD in Geological Science,
Dr. Sasha Peter Carter (he/his/him) joined Sally Ride Science Junior Academy in 2016 to create the kinds of science classes he always wished existed – classes that emphasize direct, hands-on interactions with physical science phenomena; classes that get students doing science in the first 15 minutes; classes that foster a collaborative learning community; classes that put students in the driver's seat and give them ownership over their discoveries. His Junior Academy instruction began with Messy Science in 2016 and now includes five different workshops. Sasha brings to the classroom eight years of post-doctoral research in Antarctic water systems and more than five years of teaching students of all ages. When he's not working for Sally Ride Science, he’s teaching Earth science at local colleges and exploring the natural wonders around us.
