Independence Day MakerFest Competition

After the flag hoisting and the cultural program, Al Qamar had an interhouse MakerFest competition.  12 teams from the 4 houses participated.

The challenge was to build a bridge using only newspaper and tape with a span of 1ft. The bridge could be freestanding or supported by chowkis.  And it must take a load of atleast 200gms.  The bridge which could take the highest load would win.

At first the teams were flummoxed! How can a weak material like paper be used to make a strong bridge which would take weight.  Then the brains started ticking.

One team made triangular supports and a ramp.

Another had a complex set of supports under the ramp.

A third tried to make thin rolls of paper which would be the bridge. 

Another team made a T structure.

Remember these are 4-6th grade kids. Getting a feel for a real engineering design problem

Finally the axiom, simple is best, won.  The all girls team simply rolled up all their paper into a thick wad and taped it.  The structure held about 3.4kg of weight before we stopped measuring- there was no space to further balance the weights on the bridge.  The judges felt, this bridge could've gone upto 4.5-5 kgs.  

An exciting event which enthuses kids for science and its applications.