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Mr. Chip Strickland’s 9th-grade physics classes are inventing a Rube Goldberg machine to keep a toy car moving using various methods and materials such as dominoes, pieces of wood, and electricity. A few days earlier, the students were assigned to a specific part of the machine. Each student drafted their assigned part, and now they are building it.

“Everyone drew their part and how they are making it. On Monday, [November 28], we will connect them all together,” explained Strickland.

A Rube Goldberg machine is an invention that is purposely built in a very intricate fashion to perform a very simple task, for example, to keep a car moving. Mr. Strickland started assigning these projects about four years ago. The projects test the students and forces them to think deeply about methods to use their knowledge of motion and the laws of nature.

“We set up dominoes and it is all downhill from there,” commented freshman Caleb Franklin, explaining the part him and his group built – a downward slide made of a toy dinosaur’s back and dominoes.

A lot of groups had trouble with making their part work. They made mistakes and worked to fix them by adding or removing materials. Mr. Strickland also provided feedback on what they should do to make it work and watched over each group’s work. Teamwork is essential here because for the final product to work correctly and to come smoothly together, each individual part must function effectively.

The students have been working on this project for a week and a half and are planning on putting it all together on November 28th!