Lesson: Suspension Bridge Building
Posted on March 1st, 2010 by ASEE
Students grades 5-12 assume the role of civil engineers in constructing a model suspension bridge. They learn about other types of spans — including arch, girder, truss, and cantilever — and of the careful balance of compression and tension required in bridge building.
Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | 2 Comments »
Tags: Bridge building, Bridge Design, Civil Engineering, Grades 5-12
The NanoLeap project represents an approach for teachers to introduce the exciting world of nanoscale science and technology to their classes by integrating interdisciplinary research with traditional science concepts. Investigating Static Forces in Nature: The Mystery of the Gecko is a three-week module that replaces and supplements part of a unit that is normally taught at the beginning of a physical science course.
In this lesson, students investigate the growing concerns over automobile fuel sources. Using background information from PBS’s NewsHour Report, students engage in an activity of selling and buying an environmentally friendly car. They work together to consider what it means for a car to be “green”; which current vehicles are considered green, and why; and how automobile sellers might use information about environmental impact to sell their cars.
Students work in small teams to design a heat- and water-conserving “green roof” of plant material for an urban apartment building. This is a multimedia project for grades 9-12, involving Web and library research, hand drawings, creation of exhibit boards with text, photos and data graphics, and a final presentation of findings.
In this lesson series for ages 8-18, teams of students explore the engineering behind recorder manufacturing, and then design, construct, test, and evaluate a working musical instrument using easily found materials. Time required: Two to three 45-minute sessions.
In this lesson for grades 6-12, students experience the forces of tension and compression by manipulating objects that are strong in each but not in both. Students then take what they have learned and apply it to the construction of a simple model of a beam bridge and the more complex suspension bridge and inverted triangle support structure. During the lesson, students watch video segments that illustrate the design and construction process in the real world.
In this lesson for ages 8 to 18, students work in teams to design and build a working robotic arm from a set of everyday items. Each arm should be able to pick up a Styrofoam cup.
