A Rube Goldberg machine: a chain of events
A ball rolls down a ramp, topples dominoes, the last one hits a lever, which tosses a ball — and the ‘bell’ rings.
2D
Age 8+15 min
EnergyMomentum & collisionsLevers & balanceLogic & robots
Loading simulation…
Press “Run”. Bodies move by the laws of physics: gravity, friction, elasticity.
What the experiment shows
A complicated machine for a simple job: each step passes energy to the next. If one step fails, the whole chain stops.
How to run it
- Press “Run” and follow the chain to the end.
- Spread the dominoes apart — at which step does it break?
- Add your own step in the middle.
Questions to discuss
- Where does the energy for each step come from?
- How can you make the machine more reliable?
The science
Each link turns one kind of energy into another: height into speed, a hit into a lever turn. Some energy is lost, so links draw on their own height (falling dominoes).
Try it at home
Build a chain on the floor with books, a toy car and blocks that ends by dropping a toy into a box.
What to change in the editor
- Make the ball on the lever lighter.
- Change the ramp angle.