Architecture and Trigonometry – Making Connections

Engineering Design: Bridges

Design a structurally sound bridge to span strait of Puget Sound in Pierce County, Washington. The bridge must connect the city of Tacoma with the Kitsap Peninsula and carry State Route 16 over the strait. You may investigate all you need but you may not copy Galloping Gertie or the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

In this mini-project you will be integrating a fun sort of Architectural aspect of Trigonometry to a new app that I discovered.

Normally my face-to-face students do this by hand, now you get to try this using a new app.

Background Info on Bridges

Vocabulary:
Tension, truss, beam, cables, suspension

Compare and Contrast

– Structure and function
– Cause and effect
– Patterns

– Compare and contrast 2 different types of bridge designs if you so choose.

Using the following 2 Apps: Design your Bridge

https://www.robocompass.com/app (Links to an external site.)

Tinkercad

Student instructions to access Tinkercad

1. Go to your class at https://www.tinkercad.com/joinclass/CQ6EXIPCN4D6 (Links to an external site.).
2. Enter the Nickname your teacher assigned you.

Both apps are free to students and are under educator licensing.

After you Design your Bridge – Test its Strength…

Record yourself testing the strength by designing a prototype out of Popsicle sticks and string or toothpicks (you are not restricted to my suggestions) etc…..

Use pennies to measure the strength of your design. Create a mini experiment and record the data. How many pennies or dimes or whatever “weight” you decide to use, to determine if your bridge is strong enough.

You will submit both documents, and the video to earn points for this assignment, you must show your work, explain the design, function and show all calculations for your drawings using trigonometry learned in this class.

Also please guide me what I have to do at home making video and testing strength of bridge.