Physics Students Create Complex Contraptions at Home

Dr. Payette’s 9^th Grade physics students recently showed off some ingenious designs as they created their own “Rube Goldberg machines” at home. These deliberately complex contraptions use chain reactions to accomplish a simple task  — shooting a ping pong ball through a goal post.

 As they tinkered with their homemade projects, the students discovered the high level of skill, patience and creativity that is required to make a successful chain reaction.

To accomplish their goal, the students involved a wide range of objects including Legos, pencils, rubber bands, toy cars, and even Nerf guns in the sequence.