Toothpick Bridge Project
Using your understanding of bridges and trusses, build a bridge out of toothpicks and white craft
glue. You may either work with one partner or by yourself.
Constraints:
● You may use up to 1000 toothpicks (2 boxes). You don’t need to count, you just can’t
use more than the two boxes you are given.
● You may only use the white craft glue.
● The bridge must have a 2 cm by 2 cm gap in the center for the testing device. (See
example below).
● Bridge must have at least 12 inches between piers (if you choose to build piers) or be
able to span 12 inches across the table. (See picture below as example)
● Bridge width (imagine where a car would travel) must be at least 2.5 inches.
Winner is the bridge that has the best mass to strength ratio. You will place your bridge on a
scale and record its mass. Then you will record how much mass if was able to hold. When you
take the mass held divided by the mass of your bridge, you get your ratio. Largest ratio wins and
gets 10 points extra credit on the project.