toothpick tower

Toothpick Tower

Why Triangles?Most successful towers have many triangles

as part of the design. Triangles help make the tower rigid and strong.

Triangles are the ONLY polygon that cannot be 'squished' without changing the length of one or more sides

In the real world, triangular construction means that the beams themselves have to be stretched or compressed before the structure will experience any movement, which means that the structure can handle huge loads before failure.

Rectangles and squares easily deform under pressure. This does NOT make a strong and well-constructed tower

The more triangles, the stronger the tower. This is true for both vertical and

horizontal parts of the tower.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN8wE8_3Sn0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCP_Lcx_08Q

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/lab/shapes.html

http://wimedialab.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/phy03.sci.phys.mfe.zgumdrop/triangles-testing-the-strength-of-a-gumdrop-dome/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuS951q3lf8

Building Supplies

CardboardWax PaperTapeFingernail Clippers orDiagonal Cutters

The Requirements Design and draw a picture of what your

toothpick tower will look likeTower must be between 8- 10 inches tall and

1-2 toothpicks wideStudents will work in assigned groupsTowers will be tested to see how much

weight they can hold