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Rube Goldberg machines

montana cowgurl

Well-known member
ya know, the ones that one thing causes another thing to do something that makes somethin else do something? ok that didnt make sense, ok kinda like the Mousetrap game? For our science class we're kinda having a competition to see who can make the best machine that in the end has to squeeze toothpaste out of a tube onto a toothbrush. There's groups of 4 kids and then our group only has 3 in it since there's an odd amount of kids. And I'm stuck with 2 boys that practically do nothing. We have a few ideas but any more ideas would be appreciated. If what I wrote makes no sense what-so-ever I can try to explain it better maybe. Thanks guys!
 

ranchwife

Well-known member
And I'm stuck with 2 boys that practically do nothing




:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Get used to it, honey.......you will find that you will be doing the majority of the brain work the rest of your life!!! :wink: :wink: :wink:

Okay, fellas....go ahead...I have my crash helmet on and my shoulder pads in place....BASH AWAY!!!! I guess I got it coming for that little cheap shot!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
 

Northern Rancher

Well-known member
I'm pretty lame at this-but suspend a weight on a string over the tube of toothpaste and figure out a sequence of events to sever the string so the weight drops and squishes out the toothpaste. A method the boys wopuld like is to coat the string with cheese then let a starved rat out of his cage to knaw through it lol. Or you could put the toothpaste under a box and figure out a way to add weight to it-sand or water.
 

montana cowgurl

Well-known member
haha well we have an idea, just spent 2 hours outside getting boards cut for it and lookin for the rest of our materials. i even smashed my fingers in the door of the shop (i thought it would be by a hammer or something but noooo a door lol) :lol: :lol:
 

Angus Cattle Shower

Well-known member
The one I thought of while I was reading this was a hammer on a pedestal, and get something to pull the board down, therefore droppign the hamemr onto the toothpaste.
 

sandhiller

Well-known member
you could start with a timer: take a container (possibly a big pop bottle) and put a small hole in the bottom. then place a second container under the first container so that it catches the water leaking out of the first container. cut a hole in the side of the second container and put in a hose or pipe for a siphon tube. (one end on the inside of the bottle near the bottom, and the other end outside the bottle near the bottom). silicon rubber the hole around where the hose goes through the side of the bottle so it is water tight. when the second bottle fills with water to the level of where the siphon tube goes through the side of the bottle, the water will rapidly siphon out of the second bottle.
ust for giggles have this water fill another bottle set up the same way but so that it holds slightly less water (to make sure there is enough water in the second bottle to make the third one start to siphon).
Next have that water fill another bottle with water and as it fills and gets heavy enough it sets off something like a mouse trap.

instead of the mouse trap you could see if you could use the guts (motor or something) out of an ole vcr hooked to some batteries.

or control a switch that runs a drill that tightens a screw or bolt in two boards that smash the tooth paste tube.

or use the bottle to set off a mouse trap that trips a rat trap that sets off a coyote trap that smashes the tooth paste.

do you want just a little tooth paste, or do you want the tooth paste to hit the tooth brush sitting across the room!!!!

Better put those bigger traps inside of a wire cage or something so some fool won't get their fingers broke!!!!

Have fun!! and Good Luck
 

sandhiller

Well-known member
you could start with a timer: take a container (possibly a big pop bottle) and put a small hole in the bottom. then place a second container under the first container so that it catches the water leaking out of the first container. cut a hole in the side of the second container and put in a hose or pipe for a siphon tube. (one end on the inside of the bottle near the bottom, and the other end outside the bottle near the bottom). silicon rubber the hole around where the hose goes through the side of the bottle so it is water tight. when the second bottle fills with water to the level of where the siphon tube goes through the side of the bottle, the water will rapidly siphon out of the second bottle.
ust for giggles have this water fill another bottle set up the same way but so that it holds slightly less water (to make sure there is enough water in the second bottle to make the third one start to siphon).
Next have that water fill another bottle with water and as it fills and gets heavy enough it sets off something like a mouse trap.

instead of the mouse trap you could see if you could use the guts (motor or something) out of an ole vcr hooked to some batteries.

or control a switch that runs a drill that tightens a screw or bolt in two boards that smash the tooth paste tube.

or use the bottle to set off a mouse trap that trips a rat trap that sets off a coyote trap that smashes the tooth paste.

do you want just a little tooth paste, or do you want the tooth paste to hit the tooth brush sitting across the room!!!!

Better put those bigger traps inside of a wire cage or something so some fool won't get their fingers broke!!!!

Disclamer: I don't know nuthin about what I wrote and I didn't say any of this!!

Have fun!! and Good Luck
 
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