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Course

Rube Goldberg Engineering: Engineering Gone Amuck

ENG-90021

Design and Build a Rube Goldberg Machine

 

We’ve all seen the crazy chain-reaction contraptions called Rube Goldberg machines, named for the cartoonist who originated them as a parody of modern life. Now you can 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 also 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

 

Experience the creative side of engineering by designing and building Rube Goldberg devices.

  • 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.

Return to the Sally Ride Science Junior Academy website here.

Course Information

1.50 units
TBD

Course sessions

Please contact the Pre-College Programs department at 858-534-0804 or precollege@ucsd.edu for information about this course and upcoming sections.