Rube Goldberg

Last month we learned about something called simple machines. There are six simple machines. The pulley, wedge, inclined plane, lever, wheel and axle, and screw. Simple machines make a simple task easier. For example an elevator. Instead of walking up or down a staircase you can go on an elevator. An elevator is an example of a pulley. Once we learned about simple machines. We started learning about Rube Goldberg machines. A Rube Goldberg machine is a complicated machine that involves simple machines. This completes a simple task, such as putting a water bottle in the recycling bin.

The first thing we had to do for this project was do research. Our teacher, Ms Edwards gave us some videos to watch. One helpful resource was Joseph’s Machines. The videos helped me get a good idea of what I would be doing, and helped think of some objects that I could use. When we were done with our research we started planning. We had to think of what type of materials we would use, and how our machine would function.

After this we had to make a sketch of what our machine would do and look like. I chose to make my machine give treats to my dog. The materials I chose to use for my machine were dominoes, marbles, a marble maze, a toy car, bowling pins, a ramp, toilet paper, and a pulley. We were supposed to use 3 simple machines in our project. I used the pulley, inclined plane, and wheel and axle. For the pulley I made a homemade pulley. For the inclined plane I made a ramp, and for the wheel and axle I am using a toy car. We were supposed to have 8 steps or more. I ended up with 10 steps.I think that making the sketch was hard. This was hard because I wasn’t sure what to do. I also had trouble with choosing simple machines because I wanted to do a wheel and axle. But I couldn’t find anything to use. Eventually I found a toy car to use. The inclined plane was hard because I wanted to make a ramp but I didn’t know what I could make a ramp out of. But then I decided that I would make it from scratch.

I think that this project is really fun and I am excited to see what my machine will look like at the end. I am also curious about how many tries it will take for my machine to work.