It's a Chain Reaction
What do STEM teachers do in their spare time?
They make Rube Goldberg machines.
Here's one you can enjoy.
Here's one you can enjoy.
Life is like a Rube Goldberg machine, you never know what comes next.
You can use this source: https://tinkerlab.com/engineering-kids-rube-goldberg-machine/ to develop your own simple machine.
Where can chain reactions take us?
Check your understanding
After watching this clip (1:51 mins), answer these 6 questions about Steven's invention and some of the other ingenious ways that people are using their STEM thinking and invention skills to create a safer world as we learn to live with Covid-19.
Rube Goldberg
RUBE GOLDBERG (1883-1970) was a cartoonist, an inventor, and the only person ever to be listed in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary as an adjective. Of the nearly 50,000 cartoons he drew in his lifetime, Rube is best known for the zany contraptions of Professor Butts. These inventions, also known as Rube Goldberg Machines, solved a simple task in the most overcomplicated, inefficient, and hilarious way possible.
Can you see the problem?
Turn and talk to a trusted partner and see if you can work out what problem this bizarre machine is trying to solve.
Now read the solution below, and find out if you guessed the right answer.
In this crazy contraption, this elaborate series of events (from 'A' to 'R') is designed to catch a thief who attempts to steal a milk bottle that has been delivered to Rube's doorstep. Read through each of the steps, some are very silly. Would an onion really jump up to be with the steak? Rube Goldberg's cartoons weren't meant to be real machines, like the chain reactions you are building. His work is pure fantasy.
Which part of the design do you think could actually work? Write an answer in the padlet below.
Which part of the design do you think could actually work? Write an answer in the padlet below.
Get inspired! Join the world of hilarious inventions
This is just for fun. You are going to design your own Rube Goldberg machine where you can use anything to solve a problem. It doesn't have to work in real life, you can make it as fantastic as your imagination will allow.
Watch this 5:04 min clip about a Rube Goldberg machine.
Watch this 5:04 min clip about a Rube Goldberg machine.
What are Simple Machines?
Reference: https://www.rubegoldberg.com/education/#free-lesson-plans Teacher download available below.
The 6 Simple Machines are: wedge, screw, lever, wheel and axel, inclined plane and pulley. Simple machines make work easier for us by allowing us to push or pull over increased distances. They help humans increase and/or redirect the force applied to an object. The main benefit of machines is that they allow us to do the same amount of work by applying a smaller amount of force over a greater distance.
1. In this worksheet, identify each of these simple machines.
1. In this worksheet, identify each of these simple machines.
| chain_reactions_humdrumday-lessonplans2.pdf |
2. Find the six simple machines illustrated in the inventions in this image.
| chain_reactions_humdrumday-lessonplans3.pdf |
3. Have a scavenger hunt to look for the 6 Simple Machines in use around your house, neighbourhood or your classroom. Share your discovery with others around you.
4. Design your own Rube Goldberg machine on paper using these 6 Simple Machines.
4. Design your own Rube Goldberg machine on paper using these 6 Simple Machines.
For Teachers
| chain_reactions_humdrumday-lessonplans.pdf |
