11 Step Rube Goldberg Machine

This project is an 11 Step Rube Goldberg Machine, which is designed to form a simple task in a complicated way. The task of this project is to catch a bar of soap.

For the machine you will need:

- 2 marbles

- ping pong size ball

- paper towel tube

- 2 toilet paper tubes

- a cup

- a bar of soap

- dominoes

- light cylinder

- masking tape

- q-tips

- 4 scrabble word holders

- small jewelry box

- large game box

- large stool

- chair

- small bouncy ball

Using a large stool, tape one end of the paper towel tube to the top of the stool and the other on top of the chair which should be tucked into the table. The base should be the large game box with the jewelry box taped on top, and placed on the edge of the table.

Using masking tape, tape one end of one toilet paper tube to the edge of the jewelry box(in the same line as the paper towel tube) with masking tape, and tape the other edge to the large game box. Take the second toilet paper tube and tape one end to the edge of the game box and the other end onto the table.

Using 2 scrabble word holders tape a "track" on each end of both of the toilet paper tubes. Make sure that the word holders are parellel to each other and align the tube on both sides. Using 2 q-tips, make a track between the paper towel tube and the first toilet paper tube, taping them down so that the edge of each side of the tube line up together with the q-tips. The track is to ensure that the marbles/balls go in a straight line.

At the top of each toilet paper tube, place a small marble right before the edge of the tube. After the marbles are placed, put a domino before both of the marbles so that the domino is able to hit the marble into the tube once the machine is finished.

At the bottom of the second toilet paper tube, place a small ping pong size ball in the middle of the track so that the marble will hit the tube. Followed by the small ball, place about 8 dominoes that end up curving towards the other edge of the table(90 degrees from original start position) so that they can hit each other. Be sure to leave some space at the edge of the table.

Finally, place a light cylinder after the domino track so that the domino can hit the cylinder. The cylinder must be light enough for the domino to hit, so you may have to test a couple of different objects/cylinders. I used an empty face spray. Following the light cylinder, place the cup with the bar of soap in it, on the edge of the table so that the cup is half way off of the table.

Once the machine is all set up, for it to work, you should place the small bouncy ball into the paper towel tube which is on top of the stool. The 11 steps of the machine include:

1) ball going through paper towel tube

2) ball hitting domino 1

3) ball hitting marble 1

4) marble going through toilet paper tube 1

5) marble hitting domino 2

6) domino 2 hitting marble 2

7) marble 2 going through toilet paper tube 2

8) marble 2 hitting ping pong ball

9) ping pong ball hitting domino track

10) domino track hitting light cylinder

11) light cylinder hitting cup with bar of soap(that falls and someone catches)