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 SIX

Earthquake Simulation:

Columns and Strength

PROCEDURE

Twelve columns were stood up on a tray with the columns 5 cm apart. A roof was put on top of the columns. The tray was put on the washing machine which had an unbalanced load so it shook violently when it was spinning. A watch was started when the washer started spinning. When all the pillars fell, the watch was stopped. The data was recorded.

For each building, two trials were done.

The same thing was done with eight columns 8 cm apart. In trial # 1, the washing machine was stopped after one minute to stop the machine from breaking.

RESULTS

CONCLUSIONS

One of the reasons that the temple with eight columns eight centimetres apart took longer to fall than the other one is that this temple was smaller and had a cube shape.  A cube is stronger than a rectangle. Another reason is that columns in the one with twelve columns five centimetres apart could fall and knock each other down like dominoes. They were closer together.

Building: 12 Columns, 5 cm apart