Name: _________________________ Role: ___________________ Date: __________
Fettuccini Physics
Purpose:
To build a support structure that will provide a force equal and opposite
to the force exerted by gravity on a stack of books.
Materials:
20 pieces uncooked fettuccini
Science textbook
1 meter masking tape
Ruler
Procedure:
1. Use the fettuccini and masking tape to build a structure or group of structures that will
exert an upward force on the books equal to the downward force of gravity exerted on
the books.
2. Use only the uncooked fettuccini and masking tape while assembling your
structure(s).
3. You are NOT required to use all the pasta and masking tape, but no additional tape or
pasta may be used (no stealing or borrowing from other teams either!!)
4. The completed structure must support a science textbook a minimum of 5 centimeters
above the table.
5. Clean up all the pieces of pasta and dispose of them in the trash, along with the
masking tape.
DAY 1
Sketch your initial structural design based off of your group’s discussion below.
Practice with your structures on Day 1 & 2 – the final structure and
strength test will be on Day 3.
**
DAY 2
When your FINAL design is complete, determine the maximum amount of upward force
that your structure can exert by placing additional science textbooks on top of it one at a
time. * Ms. Emigh must be present to observe your test!
How many books can your structure support? _______________________
Conclusion:
Please answer all the questions using complete sentences. (Use extra sheet of paper if necessary)
1. Explain in words the changes your group made to the design of your fettuccini structure
over time. Discuss how/why these changes either positively or negatively impacted
the ability of your structure to support your science textbook.
2. Explain the forces that were acting on the book? The pasta?
3. What happens when the upward force from the pasta structure is smaller than the
downward gravitational force on the stack of books?
4. Who were the members in your group? What are two ways in which your group could
have been more effective while working together during this lab?
5. Explain how balanced and unbalanced forces are related to the motion of an object.
Try to use the term net force in your answer.