Popsicle Stick Bridge ChallengeEngineering 9

Friday December 19th, 2014Mary AnneBita

Introduction

Statement of Inquiry: How do design limitations encourage creativity in technology?

Design Specification: In groups of two, students will design and create a popsicle stick bridge based on the students investigation. Students will then test their design and refine their product after testing. The bridge that holds the most weight will be declared the class winner.

Key concepts: development

Related concepts: resources

Global Context: scientific and technical innovation

The investigation process

For the investigation part of the assignment, Mary Anne and I first completed the handouts that were given to us by Mr. Olson. These handouts were very helpful because they provided us with guidance and a place to start. Completing the handouts were also helpful because they directed us to some websites with information about different bridge types, and the pros and cons of a variety of different materials used to build bridges.

The planning and design process

For the planning and design part of the assignment, we first figured out what had to get done before the due date of the project, and divided these important tasks amongst ourselves evenly. Mary Anne was in charge of sketching the final product, and constructing the bridge, while I was responsible for creating the PowerPoint presentation, and painting the bridge.

The sketches of four different bridge designs that we came up with based on our knowledge onbridges. We also included prosand cons about each of the bridges. We used our knowledge on bridges to help make our designs stronger, such as using triangles frequently.

Four different design sketches

Design: Upside Down Truss bridge with extra outer layer

This bridge is one of the designs that we came up with ourselves by putting a few ideas together.

Pros: •A unique and creative idea•Has extra extension at the top for more support•Double layer helps make it stronger•Has small triangles making up most of the frame

Cons:•A bit risky because we don’t know if it will work•Will use too many popsicle sticks

Design: Upside Down Truss BridgePros: •Makes good use of triangles frequently throughout the structure •A reasonably strong bridge•Would be a good use of popsicle sticks •Would be easy and simple to build

Cons: •Not very unique or original•A popular bridge•Might not be the strongest bridge•Many people will have thisbridge done because its simple •Overdone

Design: Truss bridge with extension at the base

This is another one of the bridges that we used multiple ideas to create our own bridge.

Pros:•A unique and original idea•Extension at the bottom will allow for more support•Will most likely hold a lot of weight

Cons:•Will be risky because we do not know for sure if it is strong•Will use up more than 75 popsicle sticks•Will be too complex to complete in the time given

Design: Arch Bridge

Pros: •A more unique bridge•Arches will help keep the bridge strong•An original idea

Cons: •Will take too longTo build•Arches will be too difficult to build dueto straight popsiclesticks•Will use up too manypopsicle sticks

Our team goals•To get everything done by the due date of the project, for example, the PowerPoint, bridge completed and painted, final sketch, etc.•To use our given class time efficiently, and to not procrastinate. •To insure that out product is not last minute, and that it is the absolute best that we can do.

We will use the following strategies to get all the work done:1. Use class time wisely, and do not waste time. Use all the

time given.2. Do a little bit at a time everyday so that the product is not

last minute, and that the project does not become a burden. 3. Work collaboratively, and don’t put pressure on just one

team member. Divide the work evenly.4. Help one another, and don’t only focus on your own tasks.5. Have fun, and enjoy what you do! Smile and laugh!

The creation process; Materials To create the final product of our bridge, we first considered all the materials that we would need. Mr. Olson helped us with this part of the assignment by providing us with all of the supplies. The materials for the popsicle bridge construction are 75 popsicle sticks3 glue gun sticks, paint, and drafting and sketching paper.

The creation process; Step 1We took the popsicle sticks and glued them together based on the measurements we had, keeping track of the number of popsicle sticks that we had to use.

The creation process; Step 2We continued to build our bridge! At some point, we did end up making adjustments to our bridge to make it stronger, such as putting an X inside the bridge to prevent racking.

The creation process; Step 3The final step to completing our bridge was painting it! We chose a dark purple, and took the time to do a few coats just so that it looked beautiful!

EvaluationWe believe that we were quite successful with building our bridge. We reached all of our goals, and got all of the tasks done before the due date of the assignment. We are extremely happy with our final product, and proud of the progress we made! Although we are not sure how strong out bridge is, due to having to complete this power point before the testing day, we hope that out bridge will be as strong as it looks!

Evaluation after testingMary Anne: At first, I had tons of bridge designs in mind, and I tested some at home. I was hoping that our bridge would hold a lot of weight. Our plan changed overtime so that our bridge could become even stronger. I was a bit scared when Mr. Olson told us that it was wracking, and so I came up with a solution by putting popsicle sticks between our bridge to keep it stable, and it worked. Building our bridge was really fun, but putting on the glue was a bit difficult. When we finally tested our bridge and I found out that it held 65 pounds, I was a bit disappointed because I thought it would hold a bit more. Bita helped cheer me up, and I am happy because we worked very hard and got everything done as a team.

Picture of our broken bridge after testing. It did reasonably well, holding 65 pounds!

Evaluation after testingBita: Before we tested our bridge, I though that it was quite strong because we used a couple of different methods to prevent racking. I was overall very proud of the progress we had made, and how much time and effort we put into it as a team. We also managed to get everything done before the due date of the project successfully. Once we tested our bridge, it held 65 pounds. I was extremely proud because I felt like all of our hard work had paid off. I do feel as if there is lots of room for improvement, and if we were to do the project again, I would consider making the bridge stronger by adding more popsicle sticks in between the structure. I did enjoy doing this project very much, and am glad that I was able to gain much knowledge about various things in the process.

Our broken bridge after we tested it. I was very proud of all that we had done as well as our final product.

Bibliography; MLA

PBS. PBS. Web. 21 Nov. 2014. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/bridge/>.

"Popsicle Sticks: Building a Strong Truss Bridge with Triangles." YouTube. YouTube. Web. 7 Dec. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QheSSHUbPeE>.

Web. 13 Dec. 2014. <http://micro-scale.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/2012-05-12_12-16-29_61-1-950x534.jpg>.

Web. 11 Dec. 2014. <http://www.highestbridges.com/wiki/images/thumb/e/e4/7YesanheArchBridge.jpg/750px-7YesanheArchBridge.jpg>.