The Purdue Society of Professional Engineers knows how to make a hamburger.
Before a crowd of more than 1,500 people Saturday in the Purdue University Armory, the team came away with first prize in the 2008 national Rube Goldberg Machine Contest.
AdvertisementThe Purdue engineers beat six other teams from colleges across the country, including last year’s champions from Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich., in a hamburger-making competition.
The annual event challenges university teams to come up with machines to perform simple tasks in as many steps as possible. This year’s goal was to assemble a hamburger — with at least one precooked patty, two vegetables and two condiments — sandwiched between two buns.
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Each machine in Saturday’s competition had to use at least 20 steps in making the hamburger. Purdue’s machine took 156 steps.