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Bridge Building Challenge
Goal: Design and build a model bridge that spans a given distance and holds the maximum load possible using the provided materials. Your bridge must be strong, stable, and efficient!
Materials:
Popsicle sticks
Wood glue
String or tape
Cardboard base (supports)
Small weights (for testing)
Only the provided materials may be used.
Constraints:
The bridge must span 30 cm between the supports.
โ€œI Only the provided materials may be used. 21
The bridge must be no wider than 10 cm.
Build time: 60 minutes.
Testing will be done by placing weights at the center of the bridge until it fails.
Think Like an Engineer!
A bridge must resist different types of forces and distribute the load to the supports.
Compression: squishing force
Tension: pulling force
Shear: forces sliding across each other
Bending: caused by the load pushing down on the bridge
Common Bridge Shapes
Triangular Truss
โ†’ strong and stable
Howe Truss
โ†’ good for heavy loads
Arch Bridge โ†’ compression only
Load and Strength (Algebra)
Load (L) is the total weight the bridge holds. If the bridge holds 5 weights and each weight is 20 g:
L = 5w
where w = weight of one mass L = 5(20) = 100 g
Stress (ฯƒ) is the force on a material
divided by the area (A) of the material.
ฯƒ = F/A
If a stick has a cross-sectional area of 0.2 cm2 and the force on it is 12 N:
ฯƒ = 12/0.2 = 60N/cm2
Stronger designs spread the load across more members, reducing stress.
Your goal is to MAXIMIZE L (the load) before failure!
Example Calculation:
If your bridge holds 8 weights (20 g each) and the span is 30 cm:
L = 8(20) = 160g
Convert to Newtons (1 g โ‰ˆ 0.0098 N)
P = 160gร—0.0098 โ‰ˆ 1.57N
M = 7.5P = 7.5(1.57) โ‰ˆ 11.78Nยท cm
Bending Moment (M) at the center of a simply supported beam with a center load:
where P = load
M = PL/4
L = spanlength
For our bridge, L = 30 cm
Good design Balance of Strength, Stability, and Efficiency!
S0,M = (P(30))/4 = 7.5P(Nยท cm)
Testing Procedure:
Place the bridge on the supports.
Add one weight at a time to the center.
Record the total load.
Continue until the bridge fails.
The team with the highest load wins!
โ˜† Plan carefully. Build strong. Test fairly. Improve together! โ˜†