Know Brainers Popsicle Stick Bridge Challenge
This newly launched YouTube channel, Know Brainers, put out their first video today.
Garrett Boon
Johns Hopkins Truss Simulator (New)
I have some great news to share! There is a replacement for the old Bridge Designer which no longer works on modern web browsers. The new pony in town is called the Truss Simulator. Like before, it is freely hosted on the Johns Hopkins website, and created by Claire VerHulst. This new Truss Simulator brings … Read more
Bridge Building and Design Games
NOVA Build a Bridge Classic game from PBS.com that has you pick the right bridge design for certain scenario. This is a very basic game and good for younger ages. ChronicLogic A collection of old Bridge Building games. I played most of them and enjoyed them, but they are aging now and may not work … Read more
February 2017 Bridge Building Contest
Contest is complete Congratulations to Peter for submitting the winning design, at $189,049.56. Join in the fun with our new model bridge contest series. Your submission could win a $50 Amazon gift card. More than that, you can learn more about how bridges work with this unique software program. This contest uses the Bridge Designer … Read more
Drew’s Science Project
Drew’s science fair was this past Friday, and he won a special award/ribbon for a “Superior” project. I’ve attached photos of he with his tri-fold board. He built/destroyed two bridges in order to prove his hypothesis, and so built a third (as seen in the photo) to show his classmates what they’d looked like. He … Read more
25″ Arched Warren Popsicle Stick Bridge
Re-engineered for 2014. This update to a classic design brings more realism, but with a cost. Find out more below.
Bridge Types
What is a bridge? A bridge could be anything as simple as a log laying across a creek. Or as sophisticated as the Golden Gate Bridge. A bridge is just something that helps us cross an obstacle, whether that be a river, ocean, swamp, canyon, or highway. At the most basic level, there are three types of bridges: Beam, Arch, and Suspension.
100 Stick Popsicle Bridge: 21″ Howe Truss
The 100 stick popsicle bridge challenge is on. This Howe Truss bridge uses 99 popsicle sticks, spans 21 inches, and holds 200+ pounds. It’s efficiency score is 678. This is an updated version of my old “Popsicle Bridge #3” which was the same length, but slightly different in construction.
Bridge Contest from Junk Yard Wars
Here is a short, fun video showing creative bridge designs from very limited supplies. These bridges were required to be under 5oz in weight, but only had to span 8 inches. I like this video because it is pretty clear why each bridge failed. Can you see a major design issue that could be improved … Read more
Balsa Wood
Balsa wood is unique from all other woods. Its properties make it valuable to bridge builders, wood carvers, surfers, and many others. Bridge builders have to be careful, however, when using Balsa. You can’t simply pick up two pieces of Balsa with the same dimensions and expect them to perform the same.