Hadiah Nobel - Akademi Sains Malaysia

I I I
2
Build and test a
Obiective
Investigate ways of crealing a
strong structure using only a piece
or paper.
Two wooden blocks
A sheet of paper
A number of coins
To do and observe
1 . Set the blocks about 15 cm (6
Inches) apart on a table or floor.
2. Create a paper bridge that
spans the blocks and supports as
many coin "cars" as possible. Fold
lhe paper to make it stronger. you
can only stack coins in the centre
of lhe roadway, not on lop of the
blocks. Try folding the paper in diflerenl
ways to constructhe
strongest roadway. Whal other
household items !r,/ill your roadway
hold
3. Discuss your results and
determine which struclure was the
strongest and why.
Whal's going on
Folding the paper as if to make
a paper fan makes a corruoated
roadway. The tolds form a ienes
of triangles. Triangles form the
Strongest StructUreS.
A slructure is anything that supports
its own weight against gravi.
ly, plus lhe weight ot another
obiect. Weighl provides two kinds
of lorce. compression and tension
Compression is a push down on
lhe structure that must be channelled
to the ground Tension is a
pull that slretches the structure.
Triangle support both ol these
forces Compression pushes down
equally on two sides of the triangle,
causing the base to be pulted
equally in two directions, which
creales tension. The triangle is the
strongest Slructure because all
three sides bear the load. In a
square, only two sides of the four
bear the load. This equaling of the
forces makes the triangle lhe
strongest struclure
The corrugated roadway utilises
this strength to increase the
strength of bridges
ParcnUteacher tips
Try the same experiment, but
aller the distance between blocks
Try different materials tor your
bridge. What works best
In order to understand the tension
and compresslon forces that
are placed on a structure,
'people
create a
arch' with your chrldren
Two people stand facing each
other, at least two feet apart. (you
might kneel to become the same
height as your child) Both lean
toward each other, putting their
hands on the other's shoulders.
Where do they feel a push (compression)
Where do they feel a
pull (lension)
Challenge your children to try
the above experimenl using lhe
thrckness of two or three sheets of
paper This will dramaticatly
increase the strenglh of their
structure, and enable greater load
Deaflng.
- Contributed by: New york
Hall of Science
uvww,tryscience.org
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