SWE Challenge 4: Build a Bridge!
Recommended age: 10 - 15 years old
Goal: Build a paper bridge that can support the weight of small objects!
Estimated time: 45 minutes
Prize Deadline: Fill out our survey by December 28, 2020 to be entered in a raffle for some fun prizes!
✂️ Materials
Paper
Scissors
Small objects used for testing the bridge's strength (candies, coins, legos, etc.)
📌 Introduction
Bridges are used all over the world and are essential for providing transportation and connecting different cities across bodies of water. In this SWE challenge, imagine that a flood has destroyed a bridge between two cities and you've been asked to rebuild it so that people can commute and supplies can be transferred. Using just some paper and scissors, your task is to build a bridge that can reconnect the two cities and support the weight of many "cars" (these can be candies, coins, legos, or any other small objects you have around the house). Your bridge should be at least 2 inches off the surface you build it on, and should be at least 12 inches long.
🧠 Brainstorm and Design (10 minutes)
While paper may not seem like the strongest material, there are many ways you can use it to build a sturdy bridge. Some ideas you might consider include: rolling up a piece of paper into a cylinder, using origami to turn a piece of paper into a box, or folding the paper into an accordion shape, and whatever other creative ideas you can come up with! As you brainstorm and design, keep in mind that your bridge should be at least 2 inches above the surface you build it on and at least 12 inches long.
(Paper box, image from https://www.wikihow.com/Make-an-Origami-Box-with-Printer-Paper)
(Paper accordion, image from https://bookzoompa.wordpress.com/tag/accordion-book/)
🏗 Build and Test (25 minutes)
Start building your bridge! No worries if your first few designs don't meet your goals - you can try as many designs as you want. Place your small objects on the bridge to make sure your bridge is able to support them. Feel free to test out several designs and see which one is the strongest.
📸 Share your tower! (10 minutes)
Test out the strength of your bridge by seeing how many small objects (coins, legos, candies) it can support! When you're done, take a picture of your bridge and the objects it can hold.