The Study of Bridges
| Roles & Resources | Main Webquest page |

Introduction

The Quest

Several concepts will be presented during this WebQuest:

• Let's tour the bridges around the world.
• We'll learn about the physics (a special type of physical science) that makes them work!
• Look at some sites for bridge construction.

When finished learning about these concepts, you will use your knowledge and build your own bridge.

The Process and Resources

Part of your job in this WebQuest is to take on a role in the bridge construction team. You will be working together with a group of students in class. Each group will complete the tasks and learn about bridges. As a member of the group you will explore Webpages that explain the various issues about bridge construction. The sites will provide information that will help you support your role. Because these are real Webpages you'll be searching, not sites made just for schools, the reading level might challenge you. Use the dictionary to help you with words you might not know.

You'll begin with everyone in your group getting some background information bridges. You will become knowledgeable on the aspects that pertain to your role in your team by reading and exploring the links to Webpages. Then you can help build your bridge and present it to the class.

Phase 1 - Background: Something for Everyone

Take a look at these webpages on bridges to gain background knowledge to help you with your WebQuest. Use other resources that you have access to so that you can explore and build on your own. Answer the following questions as a group. You will turn the answers about these questions into your teacher when you have completed this webquest. Then proceed to choosing a role.

Each person should answer the following set of questions:

• Why would you choose one bridge design over another? How do bridges stay up?
• What different kinds of bridges are built?
• What is a truss?
• Describe two famous bridges

Resource Links

• Four kinds of bridges and the geometry involved
• Famous bridges
• General information about bridges
• Which bridge is the strongest?
• General Bridge Information

Phase 2 - Looking Deeper

INSTRUCTIONS FOR MODEL I

1. The WebQuest groups will consist of 2-3 members and take on one of the following roles: Bridge Engineer, Contractor, and Materials Handler.

2. Read through the files linked to your role. If you look at the files on the computer, copy sections you feel are important by dragging the mouse across the passage and copying / pasting it into a word processor or other writing software or take a good set of notes.

3. Note: Remember to write down or copy/paste the URL address of the file you take the passage from so you can quickly go back to it if you need to to prove your point or include it in a bibliography.

4. Be prepared to remember what you've learned and try to make a generalization of all of the information pertinent to your role. Use your view(s) to construct your bridge.

**Please realize that you should read through all of the information in the sites, rather than simply looking for the answers to the questions pertaining to the sites. Use this information to strengthen your group's knowledge of bridge construction which should result in a better built product.

Materials allowed: 200 or less wooden toothpicks or 100 pieces or less of dry pasta and Elmer's glue. Bridge decking may be made of white copy paper that will cost $1000 per 1cm X 1cm.

5. Design and build a bridge which can be tested for structural strength and then analyzed for the forces involved.

6. Each student will then design and build a bridge using 200 or less wooden toothpicks or 100 pieces or less of dry pasta and Elmer's glue.

7. The total weight of the finished bridge must not exceed 300 grams.
Any design can be used as long as the roadbet is flat and unobstructed to allow a matchbox car to travel its length. The bridge must be free standing and allow for a 2 cm x 30 cm board to pass under the bridge while it rests on a flat surface. Only the materials listed may be used to build the bridge. Excessive amounts of glue may not be used as part of the structure (the bridge may not be completely covered in glue).

8. To test each bridge's strength, you will place the bridge onto and between two flat-topped tables spaced 25 cm apart. Pennies or weights will be added until the bridge gives way. The number of pennies or weights that it can hold will determine the strength.

9. Each bridge will be ranked using a ratio of load weight to bridge weight.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR MODEL II

Day 1
Here is the vocabulary for both the science and the math.

Using this vocabulary, construct two sentences for each of the following words and copy the definitions for each word onto your notebook paper.

SCIENCE
1.truss
2.pier
3.trestle
4.cable
5.caisson

MATH
1.acute angle
2.angle
3.congruent
4.diagonal
5.edge
6.obtuse angle
7.parallel lines
8.parallelogram
9.perpendicular line
10.polygon
11.quadrilateral
12.right angle
13.straight angle
14.trapezoid

You will have an opportunity to practice your vocabulary skills in the next few days.

Days 2-3

Visit the following sites for bridge information. Pay careful attention to the detail of the bridges. Make beginning sketches of your bridge. You will use these pictures as a basis for the type of bridge that you will build. You may copy the bridges exactly as you see them, or modify them to meet your own needs. The person drawing your blueprint is responsible to have those plans ready for the teacher to check.

Contest Rules

1. Divide yourselves into groups of 2-3. Having researched bridge design, you must now design and build a bridge to meet the following criteria: (YOU CAN NOT BUILD THE BRIDGE UNTIL YOUR DESIGN HAS BEEN PUT ONTO PAPER WITH SPECIFIC MEASUREMENTS AND THE AMOUNT OF EACH MATERIAL YOU WILL BE USING.)
· It must span a 25 cm gap
· It must be wide enough for a matchbox car to travel across bridge.
· It must be able to support 25 g at the center and 50 g at each end
· It must weigh no more than 300 g
· A Matchbox car must not fall through the roadway surface of the bridge
· Bridge must be free standing and allow for a 2 cm x 30 cm board to pass under the bridge while it rests on a flat surface.

2. You must take the blueprint that was drawn and make your model from it. YOUR BLUE PRINT MUST BE SPECIFIC WITH DETAILS AND ACCURATE MEASUREMENTS. Working as a group, your group will attach the spaghetti together. Your materials handler can work on the materials list. Your engineer will do the actual drawing of the overall bridge along with helping to build the bridge. Together select a project manager. (If you can't agree, put the names on paper and draw out a name.) The "PM (project manager) " has to ensure that all members of the group are on task and should also maintain focus on the overall project criteria. That person will also be the contact with the teacher. All questions should go through the PM(project manager) and then to the teacher. An itemized price list of the cost of materials used to make the bridge must be provided upon completion of your bridge.

Days 3-5

You must draw your blueprint, to scale, your completed design should be on graph paper. Then, you need to use the information that your completed blueprint provides and develop a projected "cost and materials needed" estimation. Follow this design "to the letter" and build your bridge from the following materials:

Spaghetti - $100.00 per strand
Elmer's Glue - $25,000 per bottle
paper - 1cm X 1cm square of paper = $1000
Toothpicks - 1 toothpick costs $25 per tooth pick

Build your bridge. Remember, you must:

1.Use your blueprint drawing.
2.Use only the materials provided (spaghetti, Elmer's glue, paper, toothpicks).
3.Use only those materials accounted for in your budget.
4.You must keep an accurate count on how many materials you used and the total cost of the bridge.

Day 5
CAREFULLY examine your bridge for "flaws." Fix as many of the imperfections as you can. REMEMBER, your bridge to be structurally sound has to sustain the weight of the mass that we will place on it. If you want to "pre-test" your bridge, a good guideline for estimation is that a nickel will weigh approximately 5.0g. Then you must determine your actual construction costs which will be turned in with all of your groups questions and terms that you have answered in the previous sections of this webquest.

Day 6 Presenting the Bridge

Each WebQuest team has a different role in the bridge building concept, and will gain expertise on their perspective. That expertise has been applied to create a bridge that will support the group's conclusions. Using information, pictures, facts, opinions, etc. from webpages that were explored, you will attempt to build the best bridge that will fit the requirements. After each group has given their presentation and demonstrated their bridge, the class will discuss each bridge construction, allowing everyone to evaluate what was realized and learned. Remember to keep an open mind as you examine other people's bridges and listen to their ideas.

Day 6 and 7
Students will test their bridges. They must support 25g at the center and 50g at each end.

Evaluation - Rubric word document link ( Rubric )

Turn in to your teacher the questions assigned to each group member along with questions that have been assigned to the group as a whole. You are also responsible to turn in your detailed list of the cost of your bridge. Each member in the group is responsible for answering the following questions

Questions to be answered by each individual groups in the class: Don't forget to answer each of the questions located next to your job.

1.How did you come up with the initial design for your bridge?
2.Did your design change as you built your bridge?
3.Which geometric shapes did you use in your bridge? Why?

Questions for each group to answer after the bridges have been answered:

1.Which bridge was the longest? Tallest? Strongest? Heaviest? Why?
2.What materials do you envision being used in future bridges?
3.How can computers help design bridges?
4.How does the strength of the bridge compare to the weight of the bridge?
5.Would you make any changes in the design of your bridge?

All inquiries and comments regarding this document should be mailed to Mrs. Davis at the following address:
Ms. Dulcie Davis , sixth grade science teacher