Form II Boys Take On Rube Goldberg Project

Middle and Upper School science teacher Melodie Ting reports exciting news: "The Form II boys in physical science class exploded with ideas when presented with the task of designing and building their own Rube Goldberg project. Having just covered simple and complex machines and beginning the topic of energy, the Rube Goldberg project is the perfect combination of these two chapters as the boys examine energy transfers in the machines they built. This was a two-week-long project that the boys started on an individual white board drawing out their designs with one restriction. They had to be inventive in the materials they used, as they were not allowed to spend money buying parts but to use what they had both in the classroom or at home. They did not disappoint; they were innovative and creative with their designs, collaborating with each other along the way. They met obstacles and failures head on, constantly rethinking the design right up until the final product was built. Tasks included stapling three pieces of paper, shooting a ping pong ball into a cup three feet away, shooting a paper ball into a trash can, pouring water into a cup, sharpening a pencil, opening a textbook, lifting an object up by one foot, and calling a phone.