First Annual BSI Bridge Building Contest

By , 06/25/2019

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for!

For the past few weeks, students in 5th, 6th, and 7th grade have designed and built their very own popsicle stick bridges.

The objective: To design the lightest possible bridge to cover a 40 cm gap with minimal deflection (bend). The bridge will be loaded until failure and the bridge with the highest efficiency (the weight that the bridge held in pounds divided by the weight of the bridge in pounds) will win the contest. Maximum design dimensions and support conditions are in the accompanying diagram.

Winning bridges were tested for the highest weight measured before they broke using the Vernier Structures and Materials Tester. Results are as follows:

HQ, Leo D, Jerry, Arlo	279.41
Leo, Andrew, Mark, Sam G	196.54
Igor, Evan, Daniel,Nickita	139.85
Matt F, Leo T, Connor	117.95
Sophia, Sofia, Alexa,	112.47
Julian, Hudson, Vayden	110.88
Axl. Tyler, Alex	110.6
Lindsay, Olympia, Iris	92.65
Maia, Julia, Rica, Imogen	85.28
Paul, Daniel, Ryan	83.03
Tessa, Kayla	82.2
Luca, Eric, Sea, Robert	82.01
Ian,Darnell, Jeremiah, Michael	80.85
Marley, Amira, Ava	75.18
Teddy, Martin, John, Max	73.09
Nick M, Henry K, Thaddeus	72.92
Dennis, Ami, Ben, Evan	70.3
Molly, Skye, Edie, Arden	64.38
Evie, Megan, Mina	64.07
Alison, Natalie, Selena	60.15

Congratulations to all the participants! Thank you to the families who donated popsicle sticks and glue to make this happen. Each student was able to build a bridge because of your generosity.

We look forward to making this an annual event!