Lunar Bridge 2009
Objective
To design and construct the lightest bridge capable of holding one brick (2.3
kg).
Construction
1a) Elem/Middle School divisions (Grades 5 - 9)
- The bridge must be constructed
only of balsawood and glue.
- All balsa pieces used
for construction must be no greater than 1/8 inch thick x 1/2 inch wide x
9cm long.
1b) High School Division (grades
10-12) only
- The entire bridge must
be constructed of commercially-made wooden toothpicks and glue only. (no bamboo
or balsa)
- All toothpicks used for
construction must be no greater than 3 mm thick x 7 cm long.
2) The wood may not be
coated or impregnated with glue paint or other materials. Glue can only be applied
to points of contact between pieces of wood.
3) The bridge must span a horizontal opening 400 mm wide. Therefore
the bridge must be greater than 400 mm in length. The supports forming
the opening which are supplied by the judges are fixed in position. The bridge
should be built to allow for a tolerance of plus or minus several mm in the width
of the opening.
4) The bridge may not extend more than 100 mm below the top of the supports
nor more than 50 mm above the top of the supports.
5) The bridge may touch only the top surfaces of the supports and the inside
vertical surfaces of the supports no more than 50 mm below the top of the supports.
6) The bridge will rest on the supports without being fixed to the supports
in any way.
7) The bridge is not required to have a continuous deck surface.
Competition
1a) In the Elem/Middle/High School Division, the bridge must provide a surface
able to support and balance one brick (2.3 kg) at any two points within
the 400 mm span.
2) The bridge will be tested by placing the brick at two points
(chosen by the judges) on the bridge.
3) The bricks will be placed with its long dimension perpendicular
to the 400 mm span and its broad face down.
4) The brick must be supported by the bridge for 10 seconds
at each point. During this interval the bridge and the brick may not be touched
and Construction rules # 4 & 5 may not be violated.
Judging
The bridge with the least mass that supports the brick will be declared the
winner.
Judge: Michael Richards / Bethesda Chevy Chase High School
email: michael_c_richards@mcpsmd.org
website:
http://montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/woottonhs/academics/science/finalfront/
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