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Leaning Tower of Pasta Science Projects by Vicky Smith
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Leaning Tower of Pasta Science Projects |
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Business
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The leaning tower of pasta is a science fair project that requires students to construct three towers from uncooked pasta and white glue. This project teaches basic engineering skills by requiring students to test materials or tools and to use their results to determine which structure has the best strength-to-weight ratio. The goal is to create a tower that ultimately is both strong and light. Key Concepts Before beginning construction, students need to familiarize themselves with some basic scientific concepts. These concepts will guide students as they create the structures, and students will need to be refer to these concepts when composing research papers to complement the visual elements of their project. Key concepts include tensile stress, compressive stress, strain and strength-to-weight ratio. Students should also understand the vocabulary terms brittle and ductile. Planning Students must create plans for a minimum of three different structures. When the structures are complete, students will measure the amount of weight that each can support before collapsing. In order to bear the weighing device, structures must have flat tops and be around 10 inches wide. In addition to planning for these accommodations, students must experiment with the materials used and the geometric shapes of the structures. When experimenting with materials, students may use multiple pasta varieties. For example, spaghetti and linguine are both viable options. Students may break the pasta into different lengths and glue multiple pieces of pasta together to create larger pieces. Students may look to existing buildings for inspiration about geometric shapes. When students create their plans, they should be able to explain their reasoning using scientific terms. Building After making plans, it's time to create the structures. Science Buddies recommends allotting a couple weeks to complete this process. That way, the soapstone slab buildings can be made with care and glue can have plenty of time to dry. When the buildings are complete, take a photograph of each of them to use for your records. Next, weigh each of them and record this data. Testing The final major step in this experiment is to find out how much weight each structure can hold before collapsing. To do this, place a wooden board across each structure. Set a bucket on each board. Next fill the bucket with a steadily increasing amount of water or sand until the structure breaks. When the structure breaks, weigh the board and the full bucket. Record your findings for each model. Finding the Ratio When all data is recorded, calculate the strength-to-weight ratio for each structure. To do this, write a fraction in which the weight needed to collapse the structure is written above the actual weight of the structure. Then divide the top number by the bottom number. For example, if a structure weighed 3 lbs. and could hold 6 lbs. before breaking, the strength-to-weight ratio would be written as 6/3 or 2. The buildings with the highest ratios are the strongest. When you've calculated the ratios, write about them. Explain why you think they worked as they did. If you were surprised by the ratios, explain this as well. Finally, be sure to address how your pasta experiment relates to engineering in general, and write about this relationship. In short, as an eminent business E-platform of promoting stone industry, we are in possession of a powerful technology group and high-efficiency operations management system. If you are interested in andesite and want to consult us freely, you can also see exhibitions or become a loyal follower of us by @ https://twitter.com/stonebtb.
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