Rube Goldberg (1883-1970) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist known for his elaborate and humorous inventions that complicated simple tasks through a series of machines. His cartoons featured various elements like arms, wheels, and animals, inspiring future engineers and scientists. The document also includes an activity to design a machine using at least four types of simple machines to replicate a function typically performed by the brain.

2. Who is Rube Goldberg?
• Rube Goldberg (1883-
1970) was a Pulitzer Prize
winning
cartoonist, sculptor and
author
• He started out as an
engineer but became a
famous cartoonist
drawing funny inventions

3. Funny inventions??? Just think…Have
you ever seen the game Mouse Trap?
The game Mouse Trap is an example of a funny invention that has
different pieces put together to work like a machine.

4. • Rube Goldberg’s cartoons were like this game because they were
“inventions” or “contraptions” in which he used an elaborate set of
arms, wheels, gears, handles, cups and rods, put in motion by balls, canary
cages, pails, boots, bathtubs, paddles and live animals – and takes a simple
task and makes it extraordinarily complicated.

7. He used different types of machines to
make his cartoons!
• We are going to look at six different kinds of
simple machines: inclined plane, wheel &
axel, wedge, pulley, screw, lever

8. Inclined Plane

9. Wheel & Axel

10. Wedge

11. Pulley

12. Screws

13. Lever

14. Rube did not build the machines
he drew, but his cartoons have
become an inspiration to
aspiring engineers and scientists
across the world.
Watch this video to see one such
example!
http://thomaselementaryart.blo
gspot.com/search/label/3rd%20
Grade

15. • You are going to design
a machine using at
least four of the
simple machines
to replace your brain.
The machine is
supposed to do
something that
happens in your head
(blinking, yawning, rem
embering, etc.)