Science Of Technology
Rube Goldberg was a famous Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist, sculptor, and author. He was famous for his depiction of extremely complicated inventions doing simple tasks, using intricate mechanical devices and outlandish components. His cartoons were examples of “man’s capacity for exerting the maximum labor to achieve minimum results and provided a humorous diversion into the wonders of technology.”
Your team will be designing and building a “Rube Goldberg” mechanical device. This device will be a subsystem within the larger system. It will demonstrate the principles of the six simple machines in a fun and inventive way. The transfer of energy in your device will travel a specific path from start to finish for a minimum of 3 seconds. The device must be self-powered utilizing potential energy. There is to be no human intervention after the device is started. Counterweights can be used but must be a part of the original design. No batteries or electrical power can be used. The device must be capable of repeated demonstrations without long set-up times in between. Remember, Rube would never do anything in a straightforward, easy way.
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