Prizes: Trophies for winners in each division and other Awards
Robotics Demonstrations and other fun events planned for all participants
Description of Competition:
A Rube Goldberg Machine Contest (RGMC) is an event where students of all ages compete with the machines they have imagined, designed and created in a fun and competitive forum. The competitions encourage teamwork and out-of-the-box problem solving, in a fresh learning environment and level playing field. Remember, to compete in a RGMC all you need is a good imagination and a pile of junk!
Contest Registration:
There are three different Divisions:
- Division I: Intermediate School (5th-6th)
- In this division, students are required to have at least 3 different simple machines.
- Division II: Middle School (7th-8th)
- In this division, students are required to have at least 4 different simple machines.
- Division III: High School (9th-12th)
- In this division, students are required to have at least 5 different simple machines.
Each team in the different divisions are required to pay the mandatory $5 fee (per person) to compete in the competition. In addition to the application fee, the teams must complete the Team Registration form and Contest Registration Form before the event.
Team Requirements:
- Must have a Team Leader 18 years of age or older.
- Divisions Apprentice, I and II must have a non-student Team Leader.
- Must have at least 3 eligible members. • team members must be students • team members must be correct grade level for their Division.
- Max team size is 10 students. Only 10 students may work on the machine or attend the contest and interact with the machine.
Machine Requirements:
- The Machine must roll 3 die at the end of the series of simple machines.
- Size Constraint: 2ft. x 2ft. x 4ft.
- Only use approved materials (Listed Below)
Scoring:
3 attempts for best possible score (Has to complete the task to score)
20 per simple machine type that functions (required number of machines)
+10 for extra machines that functions (a series of dominos, gear train, etc. count as 1 machine)
+10 for style points
+n. n=number rolled from dice
+1 for every second machine runs (up to 120 seconds)
-1 point for every second over 120 seconds.
-5 points for any resets or assists during operation (possible forfeiture for time points)
+10 points for a cohesive theme for machine
Approved Materials:
In order to allow for optimum creativity, your school and your team will be providing your own materials to build your Rube Goldberg Machine. Your goal will be to roll 3 die on to the table using 3 or more simple machines.
Materials you can use include but are not limited to: Aluminum foil, Plastic containers, Cardboard, Water bottles, Toilet paper or paper towel tubes for chutes, Cereal boxes to use like dominoes, Pop cans, soup cans, or batteries to roll, Dominoes, Funnels, Marbles, Golf balls, Toy cars, String, Buckets, Cups or bowls, LEGO Bricks, paper tubes, funnels, piping, pvc elbows, tubing, pulleys, dominoes, butterfly nets, Rolls of Tape, marbles, string or twine, gears, paper clips and binder clips, pipe cleaners, bottles, boxes, cans, straws and jumbo straws, books, balls (ping pong, tennis, shoelaces, game pieces, rubber bands, wooden train track, wooden trains, marble run tracks, craft or “popsicle’ sticks, clothespins, thread spools, aluminum foil, wax paper, wooden blocks, Tinker Toys, pull back toys, Slinky, walking wind-up toys, and motorized toys. Anything goes as long as materials used do not contain or use hazardous materials or explosives within the machine. In addition, no living things can be used in the machine except the person starting the series of events. No premade kits can be bought. If you have a material that you want to bring but is not on the list and is not dangerous, email us any questions and we'll tell you if you can use it or not.