The quality of many of the bridges was so high that there wasn’t enough time to complete the testing. The finals were postponed until the following day.
The students were instructed to design a bridge that can cover a 20-centimeter gap and withstand as much weight as possible.
“Before building their bridges, the students did their research,” Zajac said. “They explored different types of bridges, the various parts of a bridge, how they’re made to withstand the forces that act upon bridges, and other important details.”
After conducting their research, the students had to create orthographic drawings to use as their building template. They then built a prototype before moving on to the final product.
In the first round, the bridges were tested with 100 grams of weight on the bridge span. The surviving bridges moved to Round Two and tested with 200 grams of weight. In Round 3, the remaining bridges were tested to failure.
Each of the final bridges defied loads of 12,300 grams or 12.3 kilograms. The judges determined the winners by the bridges’ aesthetics.
As the bridge competition came to a close, 8th grade dominated the winners’ circle.
The Spaghetti Bridge Project meets the engineering and technology standards, as well as some of the math standards that students are required to learn.
It also encourages students to use their noodles.
Winners of the Spaghetti Bridge Building Project
1st Place: Sinally Ruiz and Sean Bently, Grade 8
2nd Place: Alyssa Santos and Mia Frazier, Grade 8
3rd Place: Irma Funez and Jessica Ventura, Grade 8