Forces Acting on Structures

Today in science we learned about gravity, tension, and compression. We found out that even though these forces are invisible, they are the ABC’s of structural engineering.

Today’s Challenge: Design and build a structure that demonstrates tension in some parts and compression in others.
Materials: 2 cardboard squares, 12 straws, 12 straight pins, 1/2m of masking tape, and 1/2m of string

The students did a fantastic job of working together. They are learning so much!

Joint construction and strengthening materials are next.

One thought on “Forces Acting on Structures

  1. Dear Mrs. Watson’s 2/3 Class,

    Wow – another great video of your engineering in action! I really enjoy watching these because I get to see how you work together and how your ideas develop. One great thing about science is that even if your ideas “don’t work” you still learn a lot. Sometimes I learn more from my ideas that don’t work, than from the ones that do. Either way, it is obvious that you are all learning a lot!

    Did you find that any material was better than the others, or that one material wasn’t very useful?

    From,
    Mr. Salsich

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