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, working in teams, 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
- Receive safety instruction
- Learn 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 Number: WKSP-90038
Credit: 0.00 unit(s)
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7/20/2020 - 7/24/2020
$200
In-class
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CLASS TYPE:
In-class, Traditional Classroom instruction
Carter, Sasha, BS in Earth Science, PhD in Geological Science
Sasha brings 8 years of post-graduate research in Antarctica, 5 years of college-level teaching, and 4 years working with pre-college students of all ages. He got into to science education to create the class in which he always wanted to be a student: in which every student is honored for their unique contribution; where hands-on activities begin on day 1 and are central; where structure, support,and community are present, so students have the resources and liberty to make their own discoveries and share alike.
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TEXTBOOKS:
No information available at this time.
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POLICIES:
1st meeting mandatory.
Early enrollment advised.
No UCSD parking permit required.
No visitors permitted.
Pre-enrollment required.
No refunds after: 7/13/2020.
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NOTE:
This is a high school level course.
| DATE | DAY | START | END | LOCATION |
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| 7/20/2020 | Mon | 9:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. | TBD |
| 7/21/2020 | Tue | 9:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. | TBD |
| 7/22/2020 | Wed | 9:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. | TBD |
| 7/23/2020 | Thu | 9:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. | TBD |
| 7/24/2020 | Fri | 9:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. | TBD |
There are no sections of this course currently scheduled. Please contact the Pre-College Programs department at 858-534-0804 or precollege@ucsd.edu for information about when this course will be offered again.