Bridges

The bridge is one of humanity's greatest engineering achievements. Crossing obstacles to connect people and places, bridges are a natural laboratory for engineering. They test the strength and durability of materials. They lead to the natural use of geometry and load dispersion to stay standing and carry weight. Construct two model bridges that help you identify different solutions to the challenge of spanning a gap. 

In this lesson, students will construct two approaches to the same problem: a Keystone bridge, which can hold more weight than you'd imagine, and a puzzle bridge designed by Leonardo daVinci. Both are built without glue and still hold strong.