PS/IS 686 | Brooklyn, NY

First Annual BSI Bridge Building Contest

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!

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