College students attempt chain reaction world record at The Tech Interactive in San Jose

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Aug 09, 2019, 20:54 ET

SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tech Interactive will host the country's largest chain reaction event, Reactica 2019, where college students will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chain reaction. On Saturday, Aug. 10 at noon, the team will set off more than 412 separate mechanical reactions to try to set a new record.

College student Evan Voeltner perfects his design for Reactica at The Tech Interactive in San Jose, CA. The team, led by Alex Huang, will attempt to set the Guinness World Record for longest chain reaction by building more than 412 mechanical steps. The public is invited to watch the attempt Saturday, August 10 at noon. This is Reactica's fourth year and Calfornia's largest chain reaction event. The team has broken the state record for the past three years.

"This event will really test our resilience, since a world-record machine has to work in one take," said Alex Huang, the founder of Reactica and YouTube icon Flash Domino. "You never really know what's going to happen in the final moments. You're always crossing your fingers and holding your breath."

This is Reactica's fourth year building chain reactions and sharing tips on making fun and dynamic creations. They've set a new state record every year. This year, their machine includes dominos, ping pong balls, rubber ducks, a popcorn bucket and more. The team also hosted two workshops.

"The Tech Interactive is proud to engage visitors in STEM education in new and fun ways," said Gretchen Walker, Vice President of Learning at The Tech. "We're excited to see what the Reactica team builds, and hope they inspire more young innovators to see themselves as the builders and makers of the world."

The principle of a Rube Goldberg machine or chain reaction is to complete a simple task in the most complicated way possible. Scandiweb, a Latvian company, holds the record for the world's biggest Rube Goldberg machine with 412 individual mechanical steps. To break the record, each of the six members of the Reactica built more than 12 steps a day over the seven-day build in San Jose.

Reactica Final Topple
Saturday, Aug.10, noon
The Tech Interactive
201 S. Market St.
San Jose, CA 95125
Livestream: http://bit.ly/reacticaLIVE

About The Tech Interactive

The Tech Interactive is a family-friendly science and technology center in the heart of downtown San Jose. Our hands-on activities, experimental labs and design challenge experiences empower people to innovate with creativity, curiosity and compassion. The Tech is a world leader in the creation of immersive STEAM education resources to develop the next generation of problem-solvers locally, nationally and globally. We believe that everyone is born an innovator who can change the world for the better.

Inspiring the innovator in everyone. | thetech.org

SOURCE The Tech Interactive