Book 26, Question 99
What is a Rube Goldberg machine?
Rube Goldberg was an American cartoonist who drew funny contraptions where many steps do a simple job, like a ball rolling down a ramp to tip a bucket to pull a string to turn a page.
Today, students build real versions as chain reactions. Each step moves energy to the next, and everything must be timed right. They are silly, but they teach planning and problem solving.