How do you design a bridge with these materials?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around designing a bridge using specific materials, including drinking straws, dressmaker's pins, coins, bond paper, and sticky tape. The bridge must support the weight of the coins, and the original poster seeks assistance and ideas for their project.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the importance of identifying problems such as span length, weight support, and structural integrity. There are suggestions to consider the use of triangles in design and the impact of dimensions on bending resistance.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants encouraging the original poster to share their ideas and where they feel stuck. Some guidance has been offered regarding the considerations for bridge design, but no consensus has been reached on a specific approach.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge that this is a school project, which may impose certain constraints on the design process and the materials used.

davedj23
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how do you build & design a bridge with these materials?

4 drinking straws
10 pieces dressmaker's oin
5 pieces of 5-peso coins (the bridge should be able to withstand the weight of these coins)
1 short bond paper
and a
1 meter sticky tape


Anyone who has performed this project already? Please! I'm in dire need of help.

and by the way, i need a thesis regarding this! please! help me! :smile:
 
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This appears to be schoolwork. Tell us your ideas and let us know where you are stuck.

To help you get started, remember that engineers are problem solvers. So first you determine the problems to be solved such as: the length of the bridge's span; weight to be supported, including the bridge's own weight; dealing with torgue on the structure (in large suspension bridges this is partly handled by the width of the structure and by placing a curve toward the end on one bank); type of foundation and location of foundation points. These are some of the possible problems to be considered.

Tell us your ideas so far.
 
Artman said:
This appears to be schoolwork.

Agreed. Moved.

[/moderator hat]
 
Think "Triangles."

Also, an object with a longer dimension perpendicular to the direction of bending resists bending better than a "flatter" object.
 

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