INDEX

Introduction

Purpose

Hypothesis

Materials

PART ONE

Gateway Structures

PART TWO

3D Geometric Structures: Which is Strongest?

PART THREE

Testing Buildings: Which Design is Strongest?

PART FOUR

Stronger Buildings:

Supports

PART FIVE

Stronger Buildings:  Buttresses and Struts

PART SIX

Earthquake

Simulation: Columns

PROBLEMS WITH

MY EXPERIMENT

BIBLIOGRAPHY

PART FOUR

Making buildings stronger:

Which Support is Best?

PROCEDURE

a) peaked roof: A rectangular prism was put together with a triangular prism to make a little building. Its strength was tested with sand bags. They were placed along the centre of the top bamboo skewer until the model broke. The weight of the bags used was added up and recorded in a chart.

b) peaked roof with columns on the sides: Another little building made of a rectangular prism with a triangular prism on top was built but it had a column in the middle of each side. Its strength was tested as usual and the results were recorded in a chart.

c) Peaked roof with one flying buttress: Another rectangular prism was put together with a triangular prism to make a little building but it had a flying buttress on two sides. Its strength was tested as usual and the results were recorded in a chart.

For each test, three trials were done.

RESULTS

CONCLUSIONS

It takes 100g more weight to collapse the building with columns than the one without. There are 4 more ways for the force exerted by the weight to get down to the ground than the peaked roof with no supports.

It takes 167g more weight to collapse the cathedral with the flying buttress than the temple with one column on each side. The flying buttresses hold up the building.

Distribution of Weight: Cube + Triangular Prism with Columns

1. Peaked Roof (Triangular Prism)

2. Peaked Roof with Columns

3. Peaked Roof with One Flying Buttress