Bosque's Rube Goldberg

“Rube Goldberg” is the only person ever to be listed in the Merriam Webster Dictionary as an adjective. The definition is as follows: a comically involved, complicated invention, laboriously contrived to perform a simple operation. In the spirit of Goldberg’s zany creations, contests around the country are held to create similar machines based on a prompt. Last week, science teacher Cathy Bailey and a group of middle school student volunteers rose to the challenge of envisioning how 2 + 2 = 4 can be demonstrated through a Rube Goldberg machine.

The contest begins with a box of “things”—everyday-type objects such as ping pong balls, cardboard, and tape. Competitors must then use these items in the most creative, and sometimes convoluted, ways to accomplish a task. Setup must be finished within a three-hour window, and the machine must be able to perform more than once with a reset time under five minutes. Bosque’s team of five, including Rowan ’24, Rhianna ’23, Josefina ’22, Elena '22, and Constance ’22, titled their final creation “Math is Magical.” Check out their machine in motion here!

“They had no limits on what they could do,” remarked Ms. Bailey. “It was a really interactive day where the kids were able to consult with real engineers and see other students engage in the process.” Ms. Bailey first heard about the competition in early January and asked for student volunteers to help make up a team. “We were the only mix of 6th–8th graders in our division, and the kids had about three weeks to workshop different ideas after school.” The best part of the competition? “There are very few rules for Rube Goldberg, so it encourages creativity and teamwork!”

Bosque’s competitive efforts resulted in a 2nd place finish and a check for $750! Our team was generously sponsored by Phil Meckland and MZA Associates Corporation, who provided the uniforms and prize money for the competition. The team hopes to use the money to install an environmentally friendly water fountain and bottle refill station in the middle school. If any money remains, the students decided it should go toward tuition assistance in the Annual Fund.

Ms. Bailey hopes that next year Bosque can enter both a middle school and upper school team to the competition. And depending on interest, Bosque may host its own Rube Goldberg competition between advisories! Stay tuned.

Here’s some information on Rube Goldberg the person, and some of the zany aspects of his career.