Need a few last minute suggestions

AFTER you've done your research and concluded your experiments, it is time to prepare for the science fair. Ask specific questions about preparing for a science fair, including how to set up your display board, how to prepare a presentation, etc. (Please post questions about selecting a project or conducting your experiment by posting in the appropriate "area of science" forum.)

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suzannebuza
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2014 10:59 am
Occupation: student
Project Question: Can a bridge made of paper support 100 pennies?
Project Due Date: 01/16/2014
Project Status: I am finished with my experiment and analyzing the data

Need a few last minute suggestions

Post by suzannebuza »

Hello, I am finalizing my project (about to type my report and put my board together) and I need some suggestions. My project was to design and build a bridge made of paper that would support at least 100 pennies. I researched all the types of bridges, supports, and uses, and spoke with a civil engineer. I know about tension, compression and torque, but I'd like to apply what I've learned to other things, I'm just not sure what those things would be. Any suggestions to continue my learning?

I was also hoping to have a catchy title, but I'm stumped. Any suggestions would be really helpful.

Thank you for your time.
tdaly
Former Expert
Posts: 1415
Joined: Sat Nov 08, 2003 11:27 pm
Occupation: Planetary Scientist
Project Question: N/A
Project Due Date: N/A
Project Status: Not applicable

Re: Need a few last minute suggestions

Post by tdaly »

Hi suzannebuza,

Tension, compression, and torque are come up in a lot of other places than bridges. Engineers think about these concepts whenever they design and build something, such as buildings and roadways. Torque plays a role in things as simple as screwing a screw with a screwdriver. These concepts also come up in biomechanics, which is a really cool area of science. This Wikipedia article has a nice discussion of biomechanics:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomechanics

For a title, how about something like "Which Bridge Holds Up Best Under Stress?"
All the best,
Terik
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