Investigate
Different materials have different properties
that cause them to behave in different ways.
They can be strong, heavy, bendy, stretchy, and
squishy! Your task is to use the materials
provided to build a bridge stretching 75cm
between two banks.
There are lots of different bridges for lots of
different reasons. Look at the pictures of bridges
from around the world, what do you notice?
Architects use different shapes to make the
materials they use behave in different ways.
What are the strongest shapes?
Do at home
Engineers have to think about lots of different
things that can happen to their bridge- these are
called variables. When building any structure
they have to think about what it will be used for,
how long it needs to stand for
and things like whether it
could survive an earthquake!
Try building some different
types of structures, like
towers or tunnels and see
how strong you can make
them… would they withstand
an earthquake?*
This Month in Science
7th November 1940 – The Tacoma Bridge in
Washington began to resonate due to strong
winds. Eventually, this caused to bridge to
completely break apart!
13th November 1946 - The first
artificial snow is produced in
New England using cloud
seeding, where solid carbon
dioxide was spread over clouds.
Find out more
Bridges are a necessary
part of our life. We use
them to cross obstacles,
such as water or roads.
They have been around
for thousands of years;
one of the oldest bridges in existence can be
found in Greece and was built in the 13th
century BC.
The world’s longest Bridge is 102.4 miles long
and is found in China. It is called the DanyangKunshan Grand Bridge.
The world’s tallest bridge is found in France and
is 343m at its tallest point. The bridge is an
example of a cable-stayed bridge and is called
the Millau Viaduct bridge.
*Always ask your parents/guardians permission
How do spacemen kill time on long trips? They play astronauts and crosses.