Building a Rube Golberg Machine: Ideas Needed

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the design and construction of a Rube Goldberg machine intended to transfer a cup of water 5 cm upward and 10 cm horizontally. Participants share ideas, suggestions, and resources related to the project, emphasizing creativity and the use of various materials without electrical outlets.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests using a counterbalance mechanism to achieve the required movement, proposing a bottle of water as a potential counterbalance.
  • Another participant emphasizes the importance of creating a series of sequential steps, likening the setup to a domino effect.
  • Participants share links to videos and websites for inspiration, indicating that there are many creative possibilities for constructing the machine.
  • There is a discussion about the authenticity of a commercial featuring a Rube Goldberg machine, with some skepticism about the use of special effects.
  • One participant mentions the number of takes required to successfully film a commercial, highlighting the complexity involved in such projects.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the creative nature of Rube Goldberg machines and the absence of a single correct approach. However, there are differing opinions on the feasibility and authenticity of certain examples shared.

Contextual Notes

Some assumptions about the materials and methods available for constructing the machine are not explicitly stated, and the discussion does not resolve the technical details of the proposed mechanisms.

Who May Find This Useful

Students and hobbyists interested in engineering, creative problem-solving, or those looking for inspiration for similar projects may find this discussion beneficial.

Physics Master
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Hello out there i am in 1st year university and I must build a Rube Golberg machine that must tranfer a cup of water 5cm up and 10 cm horizantal. For those who don't know what a Rube Golberg machine is, it is a machine that's takes you trough a bunch of (useless) steps to get to one main goal. The more steps the better. No electricity is allowed from outlets, however you may use batteries.

Please help me asap, i need to hand in an idea soon. I try to help out as many peopel as I can and the return favour would be geratly appreciated thanks.
 
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If you're absolutely desparate to get something that'll move a cup 5cm up and 10cm to the side, just put the cup on a platform and attach a counterbalance to the platform with enough potential energy to raise it 5cm and 10cm to the side. A bottle of water would work. String the counterbalance across a horizontal platform in a upside-down U shape, so that one the platform reaches the top, it'll be pulled to the side.

Otherwise, it sounds like you can use whatever you could ever dream of. Just think of random things and incorporate them. There's no "correct" way of doing something like that.

cookiemonster
 
Not sure what's so hard - you just need to line up a bunch of worthless steps that fall in succession like dominoes. Here, watch a video using only Honda parts:

http://www.boardsmag.com/screeningroom/commercials/581/

And visit different websites to gather ideas, like this one:

http://www.rube-goldberg.com/html/contest.htm

Cliff
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Just thought I'd mention that that's an amazingly cool commercial, but I can't really believe that none of it is special effects.

cookiemonster
 
Originally posted by cookiemonster
Just thought I'd mention that that's an amazingly cool commercial, but I can't really believe that none of it is special effects.

cookiemonster

It took a bunch of steps, and is stiched together in the middle (maybe you can spot where). The tires are weighted so they roll uphill, and it took a bunch of takes, but they claim to have actually done it.
 

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