Bridge

Enginee
Stem challenge
Student design workbook
Year 4

Student Name: ______________________________________ Class: _____________________

Group Members: ______________________________________
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Group Number: ____________

Team Name: _____________________________________________________________________

 About your task
The Central Highlands Regional Council has asked your team to design a bridge that will
be built over the existing crossing at the Bedford Weir.

Strength and safety are important aspects of any bridge design. Together your team will
need to conduct research about the types of bridge structures and the materials used in
their construction to determine which materials you will use for your model. The
council has provided the criteria for your bridge’s dimensions:
The span (length) of the bridge must be 50 centimetres long and the width should be 10
centimetres wide. This will allow for 5 centimetres at either end to be attached to the
ends of the table.
Deciding which bridge to build will depend on the following factors:

 the type of traffic crossing the bridge, 

 the locations available for the foundations of the bridge,

 the volume of water that

passes under the bridge,

 the materials to be used.

(Adapted from Science Buddies,
2021).

To complete the task, you will need to

follow the Engineering Design Process.
 What type of bridge will you build?
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What type of materials will you use?

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How will you make your bridge strong enough? (remember - it

needs to be floodproof)
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What other details will you include in your design?

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Don’t forget to clearly label your diagram and include all
measurements.
Record the measurements of your bridge
(Remember to record your measurements in centimetres and grams)

How long is it? _________________________________________

How wide Is your bridge? _________________________
How high is your bridge? _________________________

How heavy is your bridge? _______________________

How much weight did your bridge support in the final

test?
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What was the strength to weight

ratio of your bridge? (weight added ÷ weight of the bridge)

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Did any changes need to be made to your design?

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What worked well?

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What could you change for next time?
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What roles did each of your team members perform?

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How did your process compare to that of an engineer?

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