PASTA TOWERS

GOAL—Build the mostefficient tower

RULES

5 cm x 5 cm block must fit on top

Must fit over 10 cm x 10 cm square opening

The bottom of this block must be at least 30 cm above the testing surface.

What is important in designing the structure?

ResearchBrainstormingDesign (graph paper first)Building processTesting your structureAnalyzing –where did it break—why there?

Take pictures of towers

Use internet to search

Pasta towers or balsa towers

Look at the pictures of the towers

Write down what you noticed and liked.

Towers are weighed before they are tested

Towers must support a loading block on top that holds a chain in the center.

This tower far exceeds the height requirement and well exceeds the minimum span at the base. Rank is determined by the lightest tower that holds the most weight, up to 15 kg. This tower might have held the whole 15 kg, but it is definitely not the lightest.

Sand is loaded into a bucket hanging from the chain.Some tournaments have a device that dispenses the sand with the pull of a lever.

The entire outer cage structure on this tower is unnecessary. The weight is held at the center, where the loading block is applied. The extra pasta is simply adding more weight to the tower itself.

This tower is being protected in a cardboard box until it is time for testing. This is very wise.

Joints are very hard to connect with pasta.

Note the excess glue strands that are adding (ever so slightly) additional weight to the tower. Hit them with a hairdryer to make them wisp away..

Joints need to be glued precisely. Pieces need to be measured very carefully.

These joints have too much GLUE. It adds too much weight to the tower.

Glue one side together. Packing tape was put down first so hot glue would not stick to the table.

• Draw a tower on the graph paper

• Discuss the good points of these designs