Paper Bridge Experiment

How many pennies will your bridge hold?

This experiment showcases how bridges work and also shows what shapes are naturally stronger than others. Many people may think that paper is weak but is it really?

Materials

There aren't a lot!

Paper (only 1 is necessary)

Pennies (around 30-100 pennies)

Scissors (If you want to cut anything)

Steps

1. Take your paper (and you are only allowed to use one) to make a bridge

You will use one sheet of paper to make a bridge between two tables (or between anything that is around 1 foot apart). It is recommended that you cut the paper into 3 equal parts hot-dog style (hold it like you are writing in school and cut it into 3 equal parts). You can fold and cut the paper however you want. After you are done making the bridge, place it between the 2 tables.

2. Slowly add pennies 1-by-1 to the bridge to see how many it can hold before it bends

That's it!

An example of a bridge can be when you take a piece of paper and bend the sides of the paper to make a bridge that looks like a u. The sides of the bridge actually make the bridge stronger!

Conclusion

By making the bridge different shapes, you are allowing the weight of the pennies to get distributed across the bridge in different ways. If all the weight of the pennies gets distributed to just one spot, it's like a spike piercing the paper. If the weight gets distributed to a wider area, it's like a hand pressing itself into the same piece of paper. Which one is better? The hand of course!

Game

You and your friend can both make bridges and see how many pennies each of them can hold.

Can you make the ultimate design?