MIT’s Friday after Thanksgiving Chain Reaction photos

About 2,000 people packed the gymnasium bleachers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the Friday after Thanksgiving (FAT) Chain Reaction Event.

It’s an annual tradition that has exploded since its modest beginnings in the hallway of the MIT Museum 16 years ago.

Nowadays, teams plan their contraptions days or weeks in advance. Family members become engineering collaborators as they work to build and design an array of interconnected mouse traps, cardboard tubes, dominoes, robots, toy trains, balloons, and balls of all kinds.

The event featured 34 teams with their Rube Goldberg contraptions. One of the contraptions looks to pass along orange ball to another contraption during chain reaction.

This year, more than 30 teams participated — the largest chain reaction event yet, according to Andrew Hong, who helped coordinate the event, sponsored by the MIT Museum.

Simon Schwartz looks on at his teams contraption as it launches up pin pong balls during chain reaction.

MIT alumnus Jeff Lieberman, left, with Arthur Ganson right at the 16th Annual Friday after Thanksgiving ChainReaction Event. The event was founded by Ganson, and this year featured 34 teams with Rube Goldberg type contraptions.

After 19 minutes and 30 seconds, the balloons were popped, the balls had rolled, the sand had drained, and the chain reaction was over.