The Strongest Bridge is a participatory activity in which teams design and build a bridge that must span half a meter and withstand progressively heavier weights. The winning team is the one with the highest score, calculated by dividing the supported weight (in grams) by the construction time (in seconds). This approach promotes creativity, teamwork, and resource optimization under pressure.
Preparation
- Define the purpose:
- Encourage creativity and problem-solving under pressure.
- Promote teamwork and strategic planning.
- Develop skills in resource optimization and achieving specific objectives.
- Prepare the materials:
- Progressive weights (bricks, bags of sugar, water bottles, etc.).
- Two identical sets of materials for each team:
- For the design phase: paper, newspapers, cards, paper clips.
- For the construction phase: paper, newspapers, cards, paper clips, adhesive tape, stapler.
- Watches or timers to measure construction time.
- A ruler or measuring tape to ensure the bridge spans half a meter.
- Set up the space:
- Prepare designated areas for bridge design and construction.
- Set up testing stations with a fixed half-meter distance to evaluate the bridges.
- Arrange weights and tools to facilitate weight evaluation.
- To conduct the activity virtually:
- Ask participants to build their bridges at home using available materials such as paper, cardboard, or plastic.
- Have them measure the weight supported with common household objects (e.g., books, bottles).
- Use collaborative platforms to share photos, videos, and results.
- Provide virtual tools to time the design and construction phases.
Step-by-step instructions
- Introduction to the purpose
- Explain that the goal is to build a bridge spanning half a meter that supports as much weight as possible.
- Clarify that the score will be calculated by dividing the supported weight (grams) by the construction time (seconds).
- Emphasize the importance of planning, creativity, and collaboration to optimize results.
- Design phase (30 minutes)
- Give the first set of materials (design) to each team.
- Teams create a conceptual plan for their bridge, ensuring it meets length and strength specifications.
- At the end of the allotted time, each team briefly presents their design and receives feedback if needed.
- Construction phase (10 minutes)
- Give the second set of materials (construction) to each team.
- Teams build their bridges following their conceptual design or adjusting it as necessary.
- Use timers to accurately record the construction time.
- Testing and evaluation
- Place completed bridges at the testing station (half-meter distance).
- Add progressive weights to each bridge until it collapses or fails.
- Record the weight supported by each bridge and calculate the score by dividing the weight (grams) by construction time (seconds).
- Group reflection
- Guide a discussion using questions such as:
- Which design aspects contributed to the bridge’s success?
- What would you have done differently with more time or resources?
- How did team collaboration influence the final result?
- Guide a discussion using questions such as:
