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Newspaper Tower

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Summary

Areas of Science
Difficulty
 
Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
*Note: For this science project you will need to develop your own experimental procedure. Use the information in the summary tab as a starting place. If you would like to discuss your ideas or need help troubleshooting, use the Ask An Expert forum. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions and offer guidance if you come to them with specific questions.

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Abstract

Predict how tall you can build a tower using only two sheets of newspaper as building material. You can't use tape, glue, staples, or anything else, just two sheets of newspaper. You can tear, bend, cut, or fold the newspaper. Try it out and see how close you can come to your prediction. Can you beat your prediction? As you're building, you may come up with ideas to make a better tower. Try them out! (It's not like the materials are expensive!) Here are some variations you might want to try. Allow yourself 20 cm of tape. How much taller can you make your tower? (No taping the tower to a support. The tape can only be used on the pieces of newspaper themselves.) How would you change your tower design to accommodate wind? (Simulate wind conditions with a small fan to test.) How would you change your tower design to withstand an earthquake? (Simulate by shaking the table.) How would you alter your design to be sure your tower could hold the weight of a pack of chewing gum? (WGBH Staff, 2000)

Bibliography

WGBH Staff, 2000. "Building Big Educator's Guide, Activity: Newspaper Tower" Educational Print and Outreach Department, WGBH Educational Foundation [accessed May 26, 2006] http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/educator/act_tower_ho.html.
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Global Connections

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) are a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.

This project explores topics key to Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.

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General citation information is provided here. Be sure to check the formatting, including capitalization, for the method you are using and update your citation, as needed.

MLA Style

Science Buddies Staff. "Newspaper Tower." Science Buddies, 20 Nov. 2020, https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/CE_p016/civil-engineering/build-a-newspaper-tower. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

APA Style

Science Buddies Staff. (2020, November 20). Newspaper Tower. Retrieved from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/CE_p016/civil-engineering/build-a-newspaper-tower


Last edit date: 2020-11-20
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