Science Buddies
Science Buddies: The Design Process: Creating a Stronger Truss
This is an interesting project that explores which geometrical shapes make the strongest bridge truss structures. It is a good introduction to the engineering design process. You'll design three different trusses, and use online...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Bridges, Building and Breaking
Students will design, build and test the load bearing capacity of a scale model bridge. They will explore types of bridges. Learn about forces that effect bridges. Make scale drawings. Grading rubric is included as is a presentation for...
Technology Student
Technology Student: Structures (Bridges and Towers)
Technology teacher V. Ryan provides access to more than three dozen illustrated articles and activities for learning about the design and building of bridges and towers.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Building Our Bridge to Fun!
Students identify different bridge designs and construction materials used in modern day engineering. They work in construction teams to create paper bridges and spaghetti bridges based on existing bridge designs. Students progressively...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Straw Bridges
Working as engineering teams, students design and create model beam bridges using plastic drinking straws and tape as their construction materials. Their goal is to build the strongest bridge with a truss pattern of their own design,...
Library of Congress
Loc: Today in History: June 12: Roebling and the Brooklyn Bridge
Read about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, the first steel-wire suspension bridge. This site, from American Memory, has a biography of John A. Roebling, the designer of the bridge, and many links to photographs of the construction...
Carnegie Mellon University
Chem Collective: Stoichiometry Bridge Course
This is a complete course in chemical stoichiometry, set in a scenario that shows how stoichiometry calculations are used in real-world situations. This course has been designed to not only help you strengthen your skills with...
Department of Defense
Do Dea: Art Appreciation: Unit 6: Architecture and Design
In this sixth unit of a course on Art Appreciation, students learn about the history of architecture, including ancient Greek and Roman works. They will learn about Frank Lloyd Wright and about Islamic architecture. They will also look...
Next.cc
Next: Bridge Design
Investigate the three basic bridge spans by engaging in the activities provided. Includes links to explore related sites pertaining to bridge design.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Bridge Building Bonanza: Which Design Wins?
In this activity, you build and test two types of bridges: a simple suspension bridge and a beam bridge. Which bridge design is stronger?
Other
Sprk: Sphero Bridge Stem Challenge [Pdf]
SPRK STEM challenges are fun, interactive activities that challenge students to use creativity and team-work to move through simple steps of the design process in order to build Sphero-based creations. In this challenge students will...
![Cornell University: Cornell Center for Materials Research: The Physics of Bridges [Pdf] Lesson Plan](https://content.lessonplanet.com/knovation/original/179288-156db1b103cd8a925bf41eafa438c1b7.jpg?1661496214 "Cornell University: Cornell Center for Materials Research: The Physics of Bridges [Pdf] Lesson Plan")
Cornell University
Cornell University: Cornell Center for Materials Research: The Physics of Bridges [Pdf]
Students incorporate their knowledge of civil engineering and physics principles as they design and build a bridge within certain parameters while choosing their own materials.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Breaking the Mold
In this math activity, students conduct a strength test using modeling clay, creating their own stress vs. strain graphs, which they compare to typical steel and concrete graphs. They learn the difference between brittle and ductile...
Physics Aviary
Physics Aviary: Suspension Bridge Lab
This lab is designed to have students look at how the forces needed to support a suspension bridge change as the object moves across the bridge. This lab is intended to be used as a companion to a live lab with similar equipment.
Other
Write Design: Graphic Organizers: Sequence
Lists and describes several types of graphic organizers which fall under the "sequence" mold, including a ranking table, continuum scale, cycle, bridging snapshots, series of events chain, and a problem/solution outline.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Spaghetti Bridge
Civil engineers design and construct structures such as buildings, dams, and bridges. We can explore the field of engineering by making a bridge using spaghetti. This bridge is then tested based on the weight it can carry without breaking.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Building Towards the Future
This curricular unit introduces students to basic Civil Engineering concepts in an exciting and interactive manner. Bridges and skyscrapers, the two most visible products of Civil Engineers, will be discussed in depth. Students will have...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Simulation in Healthcare
Students learn how engineering design is applied to solve healthcare problems by using an engineering tool called simulation. While engineering design is commonly used to study and design everything from bridges, factories, airports to...
Other
Pghbridges: Bridge Basics
Site defines four main factors (span, material, placement of the travel surface in relation to structure, and form) that should be considered when designing a bridge.
US National Archives
National Archives: Designs for Democracy
A collection of government approved drawings and designs for hundreds of objects including ships, bridges, flags and more.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Keeping You in Suspens(ion)
Find out the different strengths of two types of bridges, beam and suspension, by building your own. This Science Buddies science project gives you the means to find out. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Show Me the Money
Students learn about the major factors that comprise the design and construction cost of a modern bridge. Before a bridge design is completed, engineers provide overall cost estimates for construction of the bridge. Students learn about...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Balsa Towers
Students will build their own towers using some of the techniques they have learned. The materials will consist of balsa wood and glue. General guidelines are provided, but the students will have a lot of freedom with their design to...
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Bridge to Terabithia
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart was designed to accompany the book Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. It includes several activities such as vocabulary matching, writing prompts, discussion questions, a...