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How to Test the Force of a Popsicle Stick Bridge for Breakage Fail

Making Popsicle stick bridges allows students to experiment with the effectiveness of various bridge building strategies. In order to determine a Popsicle stick bridge's ability to carry weight, students place scientific-grade metal weights, typically made of stainless steel, on the bridge structure. Because the mass of the weights is precisely measured, students can easily track the amount of weight present on the bridge when it collapses.

Two small tables
Set of scientific-grade precision metal weights

Instructions

- 1
  Position two small tables next to each other so their edges are slightly closer together than the width of the Popsicle stick bridge.
- 2
  Place the Popsicle stick bridge over the gap between the two tables so the ends of the bridge rest on the edges of the tables.
- 3
  Place the smallest metal weight onto the bridge.
- 4
  Place additional weights of gradually increasing size onto the bridge until the bridge structure collapses.
- 5
  Calculate the sum of all weights that were on the bridge when it collapsed to determine the total amount of weight that caused the bridge to fail.

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