Rube Goldberg Machine Project Help

  • Context: High School 
  • Thread starter Thread starter themusicman118
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the Rube Goldberg machine project assigned in a physics class. Participants seek recommendations for simple machines to incorporate into their project and clarify the concept of a Rube Goldberg machine.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a desire for recommendations on simple machines to use in their Rube Goldberg machine project.
  • Another participant requests a definition of a Rube Goldberg machine, suggesting it may be a complicated mechanism that fails to achieve its intended purpose.
  • A further contribution reiterates the definition, describing a Rube Goldberg machine as an absurdly complex device designed to perform a simple task, comparing it to novelty clocks and the game Mouse Trap.
  • A suggestion is made to visit a specific website for pictures related to Rube Goldberg machines.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion does not present any consensus on specific machine recommendations, and participants are still clarifying the concept of a Rube Goldberg machine.

Contextual Notes

There is a lack of detailed examples or specific machine types discussed, and the definitions provided are somewhat subjective and may vary among participants.

Who May Find This Useful

Students working on similar projects, educators looking for project ideas, and individuals interested in creative engineering concepts.

themusicman118
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Last week my physics teacher, Nate Sloan, told us that we would be having a project during the quarter. He gave us the options of building a miniature roller coaster, or building a rube goldberg machine. We chose the rube goldberg machine, and I was wondering if anyone had any good recomendations for simple machines to put together to make a rube goldberg machine.


- themusicman118
 
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Can you give an example of what a Rube Goldberg machine is? I've heard the term before, but don't have a good definition in my head. Something like a complicated mechanism that doesn't really accomplish what it claims, or something like that?
 
berkeman said:
Can you give an example of what a Rube Goldberg machine is? I've heard the term before, but don't have a good definition in my head. Something like a complicated mechanism that doesn't really accomplish what it claims, or something like that?

Just an absurdly complex machine to achieve a simple task. Rather like those clocks from gadget shops that use marbles to count minutes or the game mouse trap.
 

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