The Popsicle Stick Bridge

Building a bridge out of Popsicle sticks was the first project for the Science Engineering class. This is an application of the Mechanical Engineering content and the objective of this exercise was to demonstrate distribution of force, capacity, resilience, strength and the basic principles of engineering. The key to building a strong bridge is understanding where the stress or load bearing points of your design is. Once the students identified those areas, it was easy to reinforce the bridge, so it can bear weight up to 10 kg and flexing only to the standard of 1.5 cm.

The shape of the bridge is the key to its strength. It is important for the bridge to have a shape that evenly distributes weight so that it would not break. Without arches (triangles), a bridge will bend and break because of tension and compression. Students were required to choose a design and draw a plan for their bridge. 

This is a collaborative task where the group decided on the plan of action. Each group was allocated 200 sticks, hot glue guns and clamps. They began with building the base using the base diagram plan. The students will aim to complete the project and test its load bearing by the end of the term. 

Amitesh Prasad

Science Engineering Teacher