Strong Structures
What is the strength of a structure?
How much weight a structure can hold
What is the stability of a structure?
The stability of a structure is it's ability to stay in one place and not fall over.
List 3 strong materials.
metal, wood, thick plastic
This is an example of a famous structure in England.
Stonehenge.
How can you make a material stronger?
Folding, layering or braiding it.
Triangles, Strong Materials, Struts and Ties
Wide base, strong and durable materials, only as tall as necessary.
Is paper a strong material?
It depends on how it is folded/used.
This is an example of a famous structure in China.
The Great Wall of China.
What is tension and what type of support uses tension to make structures stronger and more stable?
A tie
Give one example of a strong structure.
Answers will vary.
A frame structure is hollow with a curved shape which makes it strong and rigid enough to support a load. (True or false)
False. A frame structure uses a network or skeleton of materials that support each other. That is the definition of a shell structure.
List 3 examples of durable materials.
metal, steel, wood, glass, ...
This is an example of a famous structure in Toronto, Ontario.
The CN Tower.
What is compression and which type of support uses compression to make structures stronger and more stable?
A strut.
What is the strongest shape?
Triangle!
Imagine you built a structure with legos that keeps falling over, how can you make it more stable?
Make the base wider; build in a triangular shape.
What is flexibility?
Flexibility is the ability to bend without breaking.
The Eiffel Tower.
What is triangulation?
Triangulation is using triangles to make structures stronger and more stable.
True or False - Wood is stronger than steel.
False!
Name one natural structure and one person-made structure.
Answers will vary.
When do we need materials to be flexible? Give an example of a structure.
Skyscrapers - sway in the wind.
Tent - needs to be pulled tight to keep rain out.
What type of bridge is the Golden Gate Bridge
A suspension bridge
What is a structure?
A structure is something with a definite size and shape, has a purpose and holds a load.