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With two stacks of books and a few rolls of pennies, build two kinds of bridges--a beam span and an arch span--and see how much weight each of them can hold. Besides step-by-step instructions for how to build the file card bridges, this activity also gives a brief introduction to the different kinds of bridges, along with examples (i.e., a log across a river is a beam bridge; the Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge).
- Under 5 minutes
- 10 to 30 minutes
- $1 - $5 per group of students
- Ages 6 - 11
- Activity
- English
Quick Guide
Materials List (per group of students)
- 4 to 6 books (enough to make 2 stacks the same height)
- A package of file cards
- 300 to 400 pennies (loose or in rolls)
- Scissors
Subjects
-
Engineering and Technology
-
Engineering
- Architectural Engineering
-
Technology
- Construction
-
Engineering
Informal Categories
- Model Building
Audience
To use this activity, learners need to:
- see
- touch
Learning styles supported:
- Involves hands-on or lab activities
Other
This resource is part of:
Access Rights:
- Free access
By:
- Murphy, Pat ; Klages, Ellen ; Shore, Linda
Rights:
- All rights reserved, The Exploratorium, 1996