Have you ever wondered how many pounds of rocks a bridge made of 200 Popsicle sticks would support?
Students who wanted to find out took part in the Bridge-Breaking Competition held by Saint Leo University’s Department of Mathematics and Science on March 6.
The competition includes teams who constructed model bridges from lightweight wooden sticks and glue.
Each team relied on their own ideas, and their knowledge of physics and engineering to build the bridge.
The bridges had to be 47.2 inches in length and no more than 7.87 inches in height.
Each bridge also needed a name.
Most of the bridges were built in a truss style of construction, but a few were beam style.
Sixteen bridges entered the competition, which was conducted by Leo Ondrovic, professor of biology and physics; Thomas Ricard, professor of engineering and physical sciences, and Dr. Howard Carey, professor of biology.
The tone of the evening was lighthearted.
Teams watched as rocks were piled on — and ultimately destroyed — their bridges.
The strongest bridge supported 75 pounds of rocks.
By Randy Underhill
B.C. Manion contributed to this report.
Published March 21, 2018
