Spaghetti Bridge

Add to list Go to activity
Activity link broken? See if it's at the internet archive
In this engineering activity, learners investigate the differences between the strength of bridges made from flat and round building materials. They construct simple bridges out of linguine, which has a rectangular shape, and spaghetti, which has a circular shape. They then test and compare the weight capacity of the bridges.

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:
30 to 45 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
$1 - $5 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 8 - 14
Resource Types:
Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

  • 8 Marshmallows
  • 18 pieces of raw spaghetti
  • 4 pieces of raw linguine (spaghetti and linguine should be the same width)
  • 1 paper clip
  • 1 envelope and a pair of scissors (to make hanging basket for coins)
  • approximately 40 coins
  • Paper and pencil to record observations

Keywords

Subjects

  • Engineering and Technology
    • Engineering
      • Architectural Engineering
      • Civil Engineering
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • Asking Questions
      • Conducting Investigations
      • Gathering Data

Informal Categories

  • Food and Cooking

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves teamwork and communication skills
  • Uses STEM to solve real-world problems
  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, COSI Columbus, 2009