Science Club:
Ongoing Competitions
- Bridge building
competition: On February 28, 2004, the Algonquin Chapter of
Professional Engineers Ontario held its 1st Annual Popsicle Stick Bridge
Building Competition held at the West End Mall, Pembroke in conjunction with
National Engineering Week. This year's event saw 16 (?) entries in the
Elementary Division (Grades 3 - 8). Trophies are awarded for the top three
finishers in each
division and the first place finishers also receive a cash prize of $75.
The competition requires students to construct a bridge made out of only 100
whole Popsicle sticks to span a distance of 500mm. The bridges are tested by
a fixture hanging from the deck of the bridge that is gradually loaded with
sand until the bridge fails. The final design of the bridge is up to the
students and a trophy is handed out for the Best Looking Bridge.
Peter Do and Laurel Dupuis participated on behalf of St. Mary's.
Though
they didn't bring home any of the grand prizes they were happy to finish in
the middle of the pack. Their bridges supported 64 and 44 pounds
respectively.
How do you build a
better bridge?
Research and experimentation!
http://pacifi.ca/popsicle.html
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