PHASE Physics - Pasta Bridge

PHASE Physics

RESEARCH & DESIGN:

Give a description of the 6 types of bridge. Your description should include a sketch and the most common types of failure for that type of bridge as well as the challenges in constructing it. This can be done in point form.
Define the following terms as they relate to bridge design:

tensile force
compressive force
shear force
torsion
yield strength

Describe how the principles of static equilibrium relate to bridge construction.
Once you have completed your research and chosen a bridge type, sketch your chosen design.
Once you have discussed your sketch with me, draw out your design in detail on the other side of your paper. The paper is large enough that you can draw your design full sized so that you can use it to help in your construction.
Once you have completed and discussed your design with me you can move on to construction.

CONSTRUCTION:

You are to build a bridge of pasta that meets the following criteria:

It must span a distance of 40.0 cm between two tables. Note that your bridge must therefore be longer than 40.0 cm, or it will fall through the gap.
The foot of the bridge cannot attach to the table in any way and must only rest on the surface of the table.
It must be made of spaghetti.
The pasta may not be laminated together with glue (i.e. Don’t try to make plywood out of lasagna!). It can only be spot-glued together.
The bridge must have a deck from which a hook assembly (available from Mr. Smith) can be accessed, and the hook assembly must be at the mid-point of the bridge.

Any bridge that does not meet any of criteria 1 through 5 will be excluded from the point scoring. The bridge will be tested and scored on the following basis:

Score = 75 points for participation + up to 25 points for strength ratio

Strength ratio is basically the amount of mass the bridge can support compared to the mass of the bridge itself. A good bridge can support a great deal of weight without being heavy itself.

Strength Ratio Score = 0.25(total mass held including itself)/(mass of bridge)

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