Each team has a 15ft x 15ft space with a limit of 15ft high. Each team is given a bowling ball. The bowling ball must start at ground level and mechanically be lifted at least to the 15 ft high spot, trigger 20 different mechanisms on it's way down and end up hitting the a large bell at the bottom. The closest to a target time....say 13 minutes and 28 seconds would win......

-- Duane Flatmo (flatmo@humboldt1.com), January 06, 2001

Answers

Duane, last year the Rube Goldberg challenge was to place a golf tee and then put the golf ball on it in twenty or more steps. This is an annual competition, and it only has to appear to work on paper.

JustJay

-- justjay-Captain-Three Rusty Juveniles (justjay@neo.rr.com), January 06, 2001.

Actually isn't the annual collegiate Rube Goldberg competition held at Purdue Univ. each year with the real deal, not just on paper? :) I personally liked the competitions about sharpening a pencil, brewing coffee and making toast :)

-- Ryan Gavigan (gavigan@soyokaze.biosci.ohio-state.edu), January 07, 2001.