PHYSICS

UNIT: FORCES AND ENERGY

TOPIC: MODEL MAKING – TYPES OF BRIDGES

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

To enable students to:

• Understand how bridges are engineered to withstand weight

• Investigate the ability of the bridges to meet load stress while
maintaining aesthetics
• Analyse the durability of the materials used
• Learn to follow assigned group role

ACTIVITY/TASK: (GROUP)

Students work in five groups to design and build different kinds of bridges out of
easily available materials.

PRE-PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS:

• Each group is assigned one of following five types of bridges:

-truss bridge
-beam bridge
-arch bridge
-cable bridge
-cantilever bridge

• The criteria for the model is assigned as the following:

- be at least 12’’ long
-support atleast 100 gm of weight
-hold the weight for at least five minutes
-materials like popsicle sticks, drinking straws, card-board, wires (plastic
or metal), etc can be used to build the bridges.

• Students research on the type of bridge assigned to them

• Students sketch the bridge they envision and get it approved by teacher.

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PROJECT DAY:

• students will be allotted 2 periods of 35 minutes each to assemble the bridge.

• students use standard weights to check the load bearing capacity of the
bridge constructed
• They formulate a results table and tabulate the data.
• Completed projected will be evaluated by the teacher using the following
rubric.

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Criteria Poor Fair Good Excellent
Appearance Not aesthetically Limited Overall, an Extremely
pleasing. aesthetics attractive bridge aesthetic in
Work is sloppy (shapes, patterns (shapes, patterns design (shapes,
throughout. etc.) Design and etc.) Tidy work patterns etc.) All
Design is use of glue is most of the time. construction is
unattractive and messy at times. Visually clean and
/or plain. Some visual appealing. attractive.
appeal. Visually
appealing.
Structure Bridge with no Bridge with Bridge designed Bridge designed
real design. Does limited creative with good with excellent
not contain all design. Contains creativity. creativity.
the components 50% of the Contains 75% of Contains 100% of
of their type of components of the components the components
Truss Bridge. Did their type of of their type of of their type of
not maximise use Truss bridge. Truss bridge. Truss bridge.
of materials. Limited use of Good use of Excellent use of
materials. materials. materials.
Teamwork No team work Some team work Partners worked Each person was
observed and observed and together but actively involved
only one person some respect occasionally in the building
ran the show. No shown. distracted from process. All
respect shown Sometimes their project in partners were
and did not followed the some way. Most treated with
follow the CHAMPS rules. of the time respect.
CHAMP rules. followed the Regularly
CHAMP rules. followed CHAMP
Respect was rules.
observed most of
the time.
Blue print Bridge design Bridge design Bridge blueprint Bridge blueprint
-sketch does not match somewhat mostly matches matches the
-pre-writing the design of the matches the the design of the design of the
Description blueprint and design of the finished product. finished product.
-post building changes were blueprint. If any If any changes If any changes
reflection not explained. changes were were made were made
made during during building, during building,
building, they they were they were
were explained a sufficiently thoroughly
little upon explained upon explained upon
reflection. reflection. reflection.
Durability Truss Bridge Truss Bridge Truss Bridge held Truss Bridge
could not hold could hold a a lot of weight. design was
even a small small amount of (rocks) strong and
amount of weight.(rocks) sturdy. It held a
weight. (rocks) great deal of
weight.

Total: _________________/20

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