The square tower resisted the least weight. When the weights were placed on the platform of the square tower, it fell with two pounds of books. The square tower broke immediately when it fell. The straws could be heard breaking when the tower fell. The whole tower fell. There were twenty-nine broken straws. The most broken straws were on the third floor while there were no broken starws on the seventh floor.

When the weights were placed on the octogon tower, it resisted three and a-half pounds and then fell. When the tower fell, the backbone bent at a right angle on the third floor. The octagon tower did not break and there was no sound. The floor with the most broken straws was the second floor. Floors four, six and seven did not have any broken straws.

One floor, the seventh story on each tower did not have any broken straws. The seventh floor had diagonal supports to and from the platform. The damage total of the square tower was three times more than the octagon tower.

The square tower consisted of 221 straws of which 29 or 13.2% of straws were broken. The octagon tower used 220 straws, nine or 4.1% of those straws were broken. The square tower had nearly three times the damage of the octagon tower.

The octagon tower resisted 1.5 times more weight then the square tower. The octagon tower had less damage then the square tower there for the octagon tower is stronger.

There was only one test because the towers were no longer strong enough to repeat tests. When the towers were repaired they crumbled with one pound of weight. There was not enough time to build more towers.

Weight (pounds)

Floor 1

Floor 2

Floor 3

Floor 4

Floor 5

Floor 6

Floor 7

Total

Total number of straws

Total broken straws

Percentage of broken straws

Intact straws