SRT Goldberg Assessment

Purpose/Objective
The purpose of this experiment is to do a rube Goldberg to blow out a candle. The goal for this
experiment is to use a blown up balloon to blow out a candle.
Hypothesis
If the rube Goldberg is successful, then the balloon can blow out the candle because the weight of
the block holding it down will be lifted and wont fall or make mistakes
Background information
A rube Goldberg is a complicated machine to do a simple task. The Rube Goldbergs full name is
Rueben Garret Lucius Goldberg who was born in July 4th 1883 and died in December 7th 1970. He
was an inventor, and author and a cartoonist. He took on many jobs after quitting the job before
until he stayed as a copious artist. Goldberg got married to Irma Seeman in 1916 while having two
children.
Procedure
Step 1. The car is placed at the top of the board and let go. It goes through the door flaps to slow
the ball down and then is dropped into a small box.
Step 2. Once the car has been dropped at the box kinetic energy is harnessed. The lever will tilt and
the string attached to the other lever will make the marble on it roll down and knock a hook.
Step 3. The hook will spiral down a screw and will gather rotational kinetic energy. At the end the
screw will make the marble at the end of the hook knock the other marble off the wedge rolling
down to the other basket. This occurred because of a pulley.
Step 4. Once the ball landed in a basket the pulleys other side, which was attached to a lever to
make a marble roll down. The marble rolls down on two planks of carboard.
Step 5. The ball rolls down to two planks which make the marble roll right then left creating
momentum and change of motion.
Step 6. The marble rolls onto a group of marbles. On one end is an inclined plane forcing the marbles
to roll the other direction. They will roll down into a box
Step 7. When enough weight is in the box then the lever will tilt lifting another box. The box would
have to be heavy enough to hold a balloon nozzle down. Once the heavy box is off, the balloon will
release all its air creating potential energy. The balloons air will blow out the candle.

1. All simple machines are made for example: Pulley, lever etc.
2. A pencil is used to mark where everything is being placed.
3. The first part of the rube Goldberg is hotglued to the board.
4. Step 3 is repeated for all the parts.
5. All parts are tested and adjusted to make sure the step works
6. A video is taken by recording the rube Goldberg which can take up to many tries (trial and
error)
Simple machines:
Lever:
1. A rectangle of cardboard was cut to desired size
2. Three little bits of cardboard were cut
3. A piece of paper was rolled up and put as tight as possible around a rod of metal from a coat
hanger.
4. Bits of hot glue were glued next to the piece of paper which was taped in the rod making
sure the paper can still roll
5. The three pieces of cardboard were hot glued together
6. The hot glued pieces were hot glued to the middle of the rectangle cardboard.
7. The metal rod was hot glued with the bits of cardboard with the three pieces and the paper
roll being glued together
8. Steps 1-7 are repeated three more times.

Pulley:
1. A coat hanger was cut.
2. The two bottom parts that was cut was hot glued together with a toilet paper roll inside.
3. Hot glue was used to make the sharp metal ends smooth.
4. A 50cm string was wrapped around the toilet paper roll one time
5. One bit of the string was hot glued to the toilet paper roll
6. Each end of the string was wrapped continuously until it was short enough

Variables:
Independent Variable: force and motion
Dependent variable: amount or type of air

Building Materials
 Material Quantit Size Weigh Dimension Purpos
y t s e
Toothpick 4 6.6cm 9g Used to
hold up
the paper
as flaps
in step 1
Tape 3.2meters 20cm 22g To stick
circumference simple
thing
together
that
dont
need a
hotglue
gun
Cardboard 40 x 32 x 34cm 62g To make
of most of
cardboard(mosi the
t of it was machines
unused) and
objects
String Whole roll 210cm 21g Used to
connect
simple
machines
and
boxes to
hang on
levers
Wire 1 31cm 13g Used as a
screw in
step 3
Coat hanger 1 Standard size 57g Used as a
Toilet paper of what people pulley in
roll use step 4
Boxes 1 7.5 x 4.6 x 36g To make
(Rectangula 5.1cm the
r Prisms) leavers
Marbles tilt the
way
desired
Marbles 30 Very large, Very To
(heavy Large, medium, large= activate
object) small 27g the
simple
 Large=19 machines
g or keep
Medium= the
5g balloon
Small=2g nozzle
not
blowing
out air
Balloon 1 Regular size 3g To use
the air to
blow out
the
candle
Candle 1 small 9g To be
blown
out by
the
balloon
Toy car 1 3cm in lengh 18g For step
and 2.8cm high 1 well
going
down the
plank

Tools for
construction

Material Quantit Size Weigh Dimension Purpos

y t s e
Scissors 1 large 50g

Lighter 1 large 39g To light

the
candle
Hot glue 1 normal 95g To glue
Gun most of
the
materials
together
or to the
board
Hot glue 6 small 16g Used as
gun sticks fuel for
 the hot
glue gun
Safety
Equipment
Material Quantit Size Weigh Dimension Purpos
y t s e

Cup of 1 18cm 250ml To put

water circumference our fire if
the
candle
lights
anything
on fire