Science

Science Olympics with the 7th and 8th Grade

Working in pairs, students were asked to design and build the strongest possible balsa wood tower. The tower was to be a minimum of 300 mm high with a 20 cm X 20 cm base. All the teams received the exact same building supplies including things like: 10 6 mm X 6 mm balsa wood rods, wood glue, an Exacto knife, and a cutting board. To determine the “strongest” tower we placed a loading block with a hook in it on the top of the tower. We then extended a chain from the hook down through the tower to below the table where we hung a bucket on the bottom. Students loaded sand in the bucket until the tower failed. We weighed the sand. The tower that held the most sand was the strongest. The strongest tower held 37 lbs!!!