AP Physics Project: Rube Goldberg Machines

By Maria Santos

Each year after the AP Physics students suffer through three hours of grueling testing, they receive quite the treat: the Rube Goldberg project The aim of a Rube Goldberg machine is to accomplish a simple task in the most complicated way possible

The class is separated into three groups of about ten students. Once split into groups, each student is responsible for creating two steps of their group’s Rube Goldberg Machine. Dr. Slater allowed the students to pick the goal of the project: to turn on a light Now, the type of light was never specified so students became creative. Group 1’s final step is opening a fridge door which activates the light bulb inside; group 2 turns on disco lights; group 3 lights an entire Christmas tree. However, there are about nineteen steps before reaching the light. Students are tasked with designing creative and fascinating steps that flow together seamlessly As a member of Group 1, I can assure you that this is no easy feat My two steps, for example, moving a weight to allow a train to move along a track and turn on a button powered fan, worked within the first week

The following week they didn’t There were issues with the batteries, the angle at which the train hit the button, etc. Most of our time in class is spent fixing, testing, and fixing again. It can get quite frustrating, but it’ll all be worth it in the end… if it works.

Dr Slater tries to make these projects as fun as possible: he encourages trash talk between teams (Group 1 is obviously the best by the way) and making the projects funny and outside the box. Each team seems to have a unique theme. Group 1 (the best group) calls themselves “Lenz and Jerry’s,” after Lenz's Law (which states that an induced current always flows in a direction such that it opposes the change which produced it) and the MVP of the team: Jerry Samuel. Thus our machine incorporates several magnets and coils and is ice cream themed (hence the fridge, Ben and Jerry’s cartons, and ice cream scoop)

Group 2 appears to be disco themed. Any light you can think of, group 2 probably has it: LEDs, a light up soccer ball, fairy lights, etc.

Group 3 is Christmas themed. Their table is filled with Santas, elves, and a Christmas tree Stop by room 207 to see these awesome projects!