ERIC ED480794: Design Your Own Rube Goldberg Machine. Grades 6-8.

13 Pages·2001·0.34 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 480 794
SE 068 035
AUTHOR
Rushton, Erik; Ryan, Emily; Swift, Charles
Design Your Own Rube Goldberg Machine. Grades 6-8.
TITLE
INSTITUTION Tufts Univ., Medford, MA.
PUB DATE
2001-00-00
NOTE
9p.; Produced by the Office for Technology and Industry
Collaboration. For other activities in series, see SE 068
011-041.
AVAILABLE FROM
Web site: www.prek-12engineering.org/activities/
.
PUB TYPE
Guides
Classroom
Teacher (052)
EDRS PRICE
EDRS Price MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.
DESCRIPTORS
*Creative Activities; *Critical Thinking; *Design;
Engineering; *Experiential Learning; Hands on Science; Middle
Schools; Science Education; Science Instruction; Science
Process Skills; Student Motivation
ABSTRACT
Rube Goldberg is famous for his very complex machines that
accomplish everyday tasks. In this activity, students design and build a Rube
Goldberg machine that will accomplish a simple task in no less than 10 steps.
This activity requires a 120-360 minute time period for completion.
(Author/SOE)
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
from the original document.
71-
cr.
Activity: Design Your Own Rube Goldberg Machine
GRADE LEVELS: 6-8
SUMMARY:
Rube Goldberg is famous for his very complex machines that accomplish
everyday tasks. Students will design and build a Rube Goldberg machine which
will accomplish a simple task in no less than ten steps.
LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY [1 = Least Difficult: 5 = Most Difficult]
4-difficult
TIME REQUIRED
360 minutes (2-8 class periods)
120
COST
variable
STANDARDS:
a design problem,
2.2 Demonstrate methods of representing solutions to
e.g., sketches,
orthographic projections, multiview drawings.
2.3 Describe and explain the purpose of a given prototype.
2.4 Identify appropriate materials, tools, and machines needed to construct a prototype of a given
engineering design.
2.5 Explain how such design features as size, shape, weight, function and cost limitations (i.e.,
ergonomics) would affect the construction of a given prototype.
2.6 Identify the five elements of a universal systems model: goal, inputs, processes, outputs, and
feedback.
1.1 Given a design task, identify appropriate materials (e.g., wood, paper, plastic, aggregates,
ceramics, metals, solvents, adhesives) based on specific properties and characteristics (i.e., weight,
strength, hardness and flexibility).
PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
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DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
BEEN GRANTED BY
Copyright © 2001
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
CENTER (ERIC)
All Rights Reserved
1.1Na-document
has been reproduced as
received from the person or organization
originating it.
0 Minor changes have been made to
improve reproduction quality.
BESTCOPYAVAILABLE
TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)
Points of view or opinions stated in this
1
document do not necessarily represent
_
nneitinn nr nnlirne
1.2 Identify and explain appropriate measuring tools, hand tools, and power tools used to hold, lift,
carry, fasten, and separate, and explain their safe and proper use.
1.3 Identify and explain the safe and proper use of measuring tools, hand tools, and machines
(e.g., band saw, drill press, sanders, hammer, screwdriver, pliers, tape measure, screws, nails, and
other mechanical fasteners) needed to Construct a prototype of an.engineering design.
WHAT WILL THE STUDENTS LEARN?
Practical representation of simple machines (prototype)
Engineering design process
Safe usage of tools
goal, inputs, processes, outputs and
Five elements of a technology system
feedback
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Schematic: showing the basic form or layout of something
Students should already have had an introduction to simple machines: lever,
pulley, wheel and axle, wedge, inclined plane, etc.
Students should already be trained to use any tools they will need. Screwdrivers,
saws, drills hammers and other necessary tools.
For 55 years Goldberg's award-winning cartoons satirized machines and gadgets
which he saw as excessive. His cartoons combined simple machines and common
household items to create complex, wacky, and diabolically logical machines that
accomplished mundane and trivial tasks. His inventions became so widely known
that Webster's Dictionary added "rube goldberg" to its listing, defining it as
"accomplishing by extremely complex, roundabout means what seemingly could
be done simply."
His "inventions," drawn for our pleasure, can actually work. By inventing
excessively complex ways to accomplish simple tasks, he entertained us and
poked fun at the gadgets designed to make our lives easier. In his words, the
machines were a "symbol of man's capacity for exerting maximum effort to
achieve minimal results." He believed that most people preferred doing things the
hard way instead of using simpler, more direct paths to accomplish goals.
2
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Copyright © 2001
All Rights Reserved
The resulting inventions are collections of bits and pieces, parts of now useless
machines, scraped together to achieve an innovative, imaginative, yet somehow
logical contraption to conquer the job at hand.
-Taken from www.rubegoldberg.com
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:
www.rubegoldberg.com
The New Way Things Work by David Macaulay
http://www.fi.edu/na97/spotlight3/spotlight3.html Pictures and explanations
of simple machines.
MATERIALS:
Examples of simple and complex machines (pullys, ramps, bicycle etc.)
Illustrations of Rube Goldberg machines
Wood, metals, plastics and composites.
Foam board or extruded foam insulation make good bases as they are light,
sturdy, and easy to attach things to.
Coat hangers, cardboard, screws, wire, string, tape and lots of other miscellaneous
construction materials.
Screwdrivers, saws, drills hammers and other necessary tools.
Poster paper, markers, crayons, pencils, rulers, etc
Collection of discarded "raw materials" for student prototypes
Students will also need to provide materials from home, which may be returned at
the end of the project.
PREPARATION:
Choose time frame for completion of machine
Gather materials and/or have students gather materials in advance.
DIRECTIONS:
As a class:
1. Review simple machines
3
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Copyright
2001
All Rights Reserved
2. Brainstorm on the incorporation of simple machines into more complex
machines
3. Brainstorm simple tasks that would lend themselves to the project
4. Look at illustrations of Rube Goldberg machines
5.Discuss any saftey concerns that the students need to be aware of reguarding the
supplies availible to them.
6.Explain requirements and expectations for the rubric.
7. Divide students into groups.
8. Students will identify a basic task and design a machine to accomplish that task
in no less then 10 steps.
9. Students will produce a schematic design labeling each part and its function
and each step needed to accomplish the task.
10. Students will build a working prototype of their design using tools and
machinery.
11. Students will make a presentation of their prototype which will include a
demonstration and explanation of the process.
INVESTIGATING QUESTIONS:
How can we build a device that will incorporate the recognized standard simple
machines and will accomplish a basic task in no less then 10 steps?
How can we represent the process used to complete this design from goal to
feedback?
Does the prototype accomplish the basic task in no less then 10 steps?
How does the prototype work to accomplish this task in no less then 10 steps?
Does or could this prototype have a practical application?
What changes would we make to the prototype based on our experiences
during the design process?
successes and failures
How do we use tools to shape, cut, and/or fabricate elements of the design?
4
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C 2001
Copyright
All Rights Reserved
REFERENCES:
Rube Goldberg is the ® and © of Rube Goldberg, Inc.
Students can enter designs in the annual Rube Goldberg Machine
Contest. For current information, contact Rube Goldberg Inc at
www.rubegoldberg.com or [phone].
www.prek- I 2engineering.org
Copyright 0 2001
All Rights Reserved
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Names
Sketch your design for a Rube Goldberg machine and label its parts.
What is the ultimate goal for your machine?
What simple machines did you incorporate?
bid you use 10 steps?
List and describe the steps
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