Experiment – Plastic Straw Bridge Challenge

Plastic Straw Bridge Challenge

Build a bridge out of straws that holds as much weight as possible.

What You Need

•  Plastic straws

•  Masking tape

•  Scissors

•  100 nickels in a plastic cup

•  2 desks of equal height

What You Do

1. Sketch out a design of a bridge before building it.

2. Use only scissors to cut the straws. 

3. Use only masking tape to hold the bridge together. 

4. The bridge should span two desks 100 cm apart.

5. Once complete, test the bridge by seeing how many nickels it can hold. 

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Now, show what you know!

Complete some questions about the experiment by clicking “Begin Questions” below.

Brain Stretch: Try this challenge using another material such as spaghetti!