Let your curiosity flow – gen ed physics students apply mechanics lessons to constructing their own Rube Goldberg machines!

This course is for non-science major at any level fulfilling a general education requirement.  The current version is designed to be an at home lab at the culmination of introductory unit on mechanics.  The project is meant to occur after multiple weeks of instruction on introductory mechanics (work, energy, forces) without underlying mathematical rigor.  It could include specifics about simple machines but doesn’t have to.  The project can be done in a week or scaled to be a larger project.  It can be used with a wide variety of ages.

Students will be able to showcase their creativity in using household items in new and different manners, make connections between different concepts in the month-long mechanics unit and their household items in the design and construction of their Rube Goldberg machines.  

The assignment asks students to both construct a working device and explain each of the steps in the machine.  The bulk of the brainstorming and work on this assignment will be done in small-group settings outside of class.  They need to turn in (via the reflection journal) updates about the progress that a TA or instructor will check and they can use supplemental instruction/office-hours to get support from instructors.

Your build should be made up of *at least* 8 energy transfers (separate moves) and will, in the end, move an object of your choice a distance of 20 meters.  The project will consist of a short video of your machine (in a single take – no edits!) as well as a description of the different physics transitions used in your build (you can submit this as an oral or written form).   There are four stages – rough idea/sketches, trouble shooting and redesign, final video and final write-up.