Chain reactions and Rube Goldberg Machines are fun, whimsical contraptions made up of a set of connected events linked together into a series of reactions, each one triggering the next. Imagine marbles rolling down ramps, toppling dominoes, pendulums, levers and falling objects. Inspired by artists such as Rube Goldberg and Bruno Munari, chain reactions are a fun way to learn about cause and effect, simple machines, and the energy of motion. Chain reactions celebrate STEaM by encouraging creativity, clever thinking, art, and engineering by building overly complex inventions to complete simple tasks. 4-H families, clubs and other groups are invited to build chain reaction based Rube Goldberg Machines and share them at the Northern New England Invention Convention every spring.
Making chain reactions is all about just doing it, but getting started is often a challenge. Here are a few pointers.
Inspiration and Examples – have an idea of what your end goal is. Watch some videos of other chain reaction machines to get some ideas. Watching other chain reactions will help with ideas of possible materials to use, and ways to use them. YouTube is a great source of chain reaction examples, search using terms like "chain reactions" or “Rube Goldberg Machines” to get a selection of some really fun chain reaction videos. Some of our favorites include “Joseph’s Machines”, “the Lemonade Machine” and “OK Go, this too Shall Pass”.
Make it Fun! – Come up with a theme or story to tell. Find some fun materials and objects to include in your chain reaction. This might be some stuffed animals or toys, kitchen tools or other random objects. Every year the Rube Goldberg Machine Contest offers a fun, theme-based challenge to participate in.
Collecting materials – While almost anything can be used to make chain reactions, there are a few important things you may want to include.
- Balls, marbles and other things that roll.
- Ramps, made from boards, tubes, cardboard, books.
- Towers and other structures to build height.
- Wooden blocks, books and dominoes can be used for building or toppling over.
- A note about Dominoes – be careful not to use too many, while they are an easy element to add to your machine, they topple over easily and take a long time to set up.
- Items that store energy like rubber bands, springs or pendulums
- Don’t forget the decorations! Include items to decorate and make it personal.
Other Resources
Young Inventors Program – The Young Inventors Program has partnered with 4-H and has some nice curriculum resources on building Rube Goldberg machines that are suitable for upper elementary through middle school age youth. The Young Inventors Program also hosts the annual Northern New England Invention Convention at UNH each spring. Questions about the Young Inventors Program or Northern New England Invention Convention can be sent to Tina White at tina.white@unh.edu.
Working With Youth - This is a one-page printable guide that offers some suggestions for building chain reactions with youth.
Simple Machines - This is a one-page guide illustrating the different components of simple chain reaction machines.
Energy Transfer in Chain Reactions - This is a one-page guide that explains some of the basic science of simple machines and energy transfer that youth experience while building chain reactions.
Tinkering Studio - The Tinkering Studio at the Exploratorium in San Francisco offers lots of great ideas and some nice printable resources.
Rube Goldberg Machine Contest - Rube Goldberg Machine Contest is a fun way for youth to work together to build a crazy contraption while including fun elements that follow a theme. Teams of three to five youth ages 8 – 18 can enter in either Elementary (Gr. 3-5), Middle (Gr. 6-8) or High (Gr. 9-12) School Divisions. Teams work together to build a Rube Goldberg machine to complete a simple task. Each Spring they can participate in the Northern New England Invention Convention.
Northern New England Invention Convention - The capstone regional event for the Young Inventors’ Program is the Northern New England Invention Convention. Students from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Vermont showcase their projects and celebrate together with the University of New Hampshire, board, and volunteers.
Rube Goldberg Machine Contest
Rube Goldberg Machine Contest is a fun way for youth to work together to build a crazy contraption while including fun elements that follow a theme. Teams of three to five youth ages 8 – 18 can enter in either Elementary (Gr. 3-5), Middle (Gr. 6-8) or High (Gr. 9-12) School Divisions. Teams work together to build a Rube Goldberg machine to complete a simple task. Each Spring they can participate in the Northern New England Invention Convention - The capstone regional event for the Young Inventors’ Program is the Northern New England Invention Convention. Students from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Vermont showcase their projects and celebrate together with the University of New Hampshire, board, and volunteers.
