Rube goldberg machine examples

Summary

In this two-part activity, students design and build Rube Goldberg machines.

This open-ended challenge employs the engineering design process and may have a pre-determined purpose, such as rolling a marble into a cup from a distance, or let students decide the purposes. This engineering curriculum aligns to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

Engineering Connection

Designing and building is essential to engineering.

10-step rube goldberg machine ideas

Engineers follow the steps of the design process to help them create the best possible solutions to real-world problems. These challenges may be simple or complex and the wide variety of solutions can also cover a range of effort for the user.

In general, complex designs require more effort to develop than simple ones. Rube Goldberg designs are meant to show the unnecessary complexities in machines, which sometimes result from modern technology.