Rube Thursday

Happy Rube Thursday! It is a new thing I would like to start – a day to celebrate Rube Goldberg machines, the over-engineered contraptions that perform a very simple task. Think Mouse Trap game for this one. To kick off what I hope to become an online collection of Rube Goldberg machines, here’s a short video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VlEh-CPMss

Where Is Math? Tell us what you find! Here is what we see:

• Algorithms. Each machine works step-by-step, doing different but connected things at each step.
• Iterations. If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again.
• Applied math in physics: simple machines. Levers, inclined planes and more!