For Students
Judging Form
NHSEE 2010 Information
Rules & Registration OverviewPasta Bridge Challenge
Objective:
To design and build the lightest bridge capable of supporting the heaviest
load when weight is placed on a given span, using specified materials
and guidelines.
Purpose:
To encourage research and development prior to the contest, and to practice
good construction technique.
Means:
Teams of students will
have to determine how to build a bridge using spaghetti or linguini.
This event allows students a chance to behave as real world scientists
and engineers when faced with a problem that has to be solved.
Besides learning how to
be part of a team, each student will essentially follow scientific method
when seeking the answer to the question of “how can we build
the most efficient bridge?” By the time each team comes to the
Expo, it will have learned through trial and error how to use the materials
in the most efficient way. This advanced preparation will be demonstrated
at the competition when the team presents its best effort.
Rules:
1. This event is a single-school
team event with a maximum of two entries per school and a maximum of
three students per team.
2. Materials:
a. Teams purchase their
own materials.
b. Each bridge must be
made entirely of store-bought spaghetti or linguini (no home-made spaghetti
is allowed). Material samples need to be submitted prior to construction
for review and approval.
c. Elmer's white glue or
a glue gun may be used to fasten the pieces of pasta together.
d. You may glue 2 strands
of spaghetti (or linguine) together to form a single piece, but no more
than 2 strands. This is referred to as double bonding.
e. No alterations of the
spaghetti are allowed, i.e. Cooking, painting, filling with glue or
any other materials, etc.
f. You may cut, bend, or
break the spaghetti.
g. No materials other than
the ones listed may be used.
3. Structure:
a. The bridge is to be
constructed so that the deck and deck framework are supported by a vertical
structure at the each end.
b. The roadbed framework
and vertical supports will form a clear opening under the bridge.
The opening must be at least 6 in. wide, and at least 3 in. high
c. The roadbed must be
at least 4 in. wide; flat and level enough to lay a 4 in. by 6 in. block
on it at any point; and no part of the bridge structure can be above
the roadbed.
d. The bridge height (from
base to roadbed surface) must be at least 3.5 in. but no more than 8
in.
e. The bridge length must
be at least 7 in. but no more than 12 in.
f. The total weight of
the completed bridge may not exceed one pound (which is the weight equivalent
of 453.59 grams).
4. Each team is to provide a poster board that displays Title and Objective at the top, and will include the following content:
a. The logic used when
designing the bridge and a discussion of the principles of science involved.
b. Discussion of what was
learned from the trial and error period.
c. Why the bridge was constructed
as it was.
d. Discussion of possible
problems or weak points, and how they might be dealt with.
e. Prediction for how well
the bridge will perform. (Based on experimental data)
Helpful tips:
1. Use pasta made with semolina-
2. Buy zip-lock bags to seal pasta up for the day/night
3. When gluing bridge make sure it is square
4. Research types of bridge designs
5. Think outside of the box.
6. Be open to suggestions from within your group.
Competition:
1. Each entry will
be inspected to insure compliance with the specifications. Failure
to adhere to measurements as given in the rules will cause penalty points
to be assigned to your bridge for the structure scoring, and a score
of zero for the strength scoring.
2. The weight of the
bridge will be recorded for use in the scoring of the strength competition.
3. For strength
testing, the bridge will be placed into a Bridge Loader by a designated
person. A block 4 in. by 6 in. will be placed on the roadbed and
the load will be applied to the block. The load will be increased in
a continuous fashion until the bridge fails. Failure is defined as the
inability of the bridge to carry any additional load without breakage,
or with any part of the bridge displaying significant movement or signs
of bridge instability.
4. The final Official Load
is the maximum load that the bridge withstood prior to destruction.
This will be recorded for use in the scoring of the strength competition.
Scoring of the competition:
The maximum score possible
for the competition will be 70 points, and will be in two parts:
The structure is worth 30 points, and the strength is worth 40 points.
Competition
scoring part I - Scoring of the structure:
1. If all measurements
of the bridge are within limits, the team will earn 30 points.
Two points will be subtracted for every measurement that is not within
limits.
Competition scoring part
II - Scoring of strength:
1. If any dimension of the
bridge is outside of the limitations, the bridge earns zero points for
strength, no matter how much it might hold. Only fully qualified
bridges may earn points for the strength competition.
2. The strength winner is the
legal bridge with the highest Efficiency (bridge load to bridge weight
ratio). Efficiency is calculated by the following:
Bridge Efficiency
= Maximum load applied to bridge
Weight of the bridge
3. Strength winner is the bridge
with the highest efficiency.
4. Strength score is calculated
by the following:
Strength score = Bridge Efficiency X 40
Winning Efficiency
Scoring of Poster Board and Interview:
The maximum score is 30 point
and requires the following:
- The poster shows Title and Objective at the top.
- All five components required for the poster board were presented.
- The display was neat, organized, and appealing.
- The team made a compelling case for their prediction of how well they would do.
- The team was able to point out any newly discovered flaws in their original plan and to offer suggestions on how these flaws might be overcome.
Overall Scoring of the Event:
The maximum score possible
for this event will be 100 points.
1. The overall score will
be based on the sum of the points earned by a team during the competition
and the poster board judging.
2. Structure Score + Strength
Score + Poster Score = Team Total
Design competition:
Additional awards may be given
for the following:
1. Most aesthetically appealing
- Looks like a work of art
2. Most Original/Unusual -
Explores innovative artistic and structural design.
3. Classic Design - Demonstrates
and celebrates the rich heritage of bridge structure and design.