Rube Goldberg Engineering

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

San Diego

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• SECTION ID:

  147542

• CLASS TYPE:

  In-class, Traditional Classroom instruction

• INSTRUCTOR:
  

  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.

• TEXTBOOKS:

  No textbook required.

• POLICIES:

  1st meeting mandatory.
  Early enrollment advised.
  No UCSD parking permit required.
  No visitors permitted.
  Pre-enrollment required.
  No refunds after: 7/13/2020.
  

• NOTE:

  This is a high school level course.

DATE	DAY	START	END	LOCATION
7/20/2020	Mon	9:00 a.m.	12:00 p.m.	Room 210, UCSD Extension University City Center, 6256 Greenwich Dr., San Diego
7/21/2020	Tue	9:00 a.m.	12:00 p.m.	Room 210, UCSD Extension University City Center, 6256 Greenwich Dr., San Diego
7/22/2020	Wed	9:00 a.m.	12:00 p.m.	Room 210, UCSD Extension University City Center, 6256 Greenwich Dr., San Diego
7/23/2020	Thu	9:00 a.m.	12:00 p.m.	Room 210, UCSD Extension University City Center, 6256 Greenwich Dr., San Diego
7/24/2020	Fri	9:00 a.m.	12:00 p.m.	Room 210, UCSD Extension University City Center, 6256 Greenwich Dr., San Diego