Triangles and bridges
... Is there a link?
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By working effectively in teams ...
Who will build the tallest bridge?
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HINT: don’t eat your construction materials
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You have _______ minutes
You can only use the midget gems and cocktails
sticks you have.
The winner will be the group with the tallest and
most stable bridge. My decision is final!
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• Students to work in groups of 3 or 4 – each group is given a packet of
midget gems (tesco value @ 22p) and a tub of 500 cocktail sticks.
•Make it clear at the outset that they should not eat their construction
material.
•Start by getting each student (so they are all doing something) to make a
square, then a cube. Discuss how flimsy this structure is in its construction –
you may choose to “crush” one of them to demonstrate this (I like to do
that!!)
•Then get them to make triangles and subsequently a tetrahedron (you can
discuss the properties of 3D shapes too) but illustrate how strong this
structure is.
•Allocate them a set amount of time in which to build the tallest bridge by
linking multiple tetrahedrons together (some will get creative by using cubes
too, but that’s ok – make it clear that you need to be able to pass an object
between the towers (I use 10 multi-link cubes which must pass through
widthways).
•Be sure to take photos for your newsletter/website or just to remind students
that maths can be fun!
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