Building a Spaghetti Bridge - Tips & Ideas

[liv]

hey,

the rules are as follows:
70cm long
200g heavy
use anything to keep it together

my preference:
holds about 10-15 kgs (it can be done)

spaghetti doesn't stretch or bend, cause it snaps, my dad thought of tube spaghetti (bucatini), one in the centre, and five round the outside, held with glue and make that long enough and wide enough...

i figure that it won't work cause of the strain...

my idea was more simple...

lasagne sheets on the bottom, canneloni (fat tubes of spaghetti) up right the whole length of the bridge, and then lasagne sheets on top...theoretically it should be one of the best options cause it only involves the spaghetti being compressed, not stretched at any point...

the previous record was about 17kg...if anyone can give me tips or ideas, please do...

thank you!

liv
x

 

[Chi Meson]

[Homer's voice:] "Mmmm. Spaghetti Bridge."

Since the rules say "spaghetti" and not "pasta" I think you are stuck with the long straight noodles (because that shape is what "spaghetti" means). I don't think you can even use vermacelli.

Find normal spaghetti and use Elmer's wood glue to stick the pieces together. Use clothespins to clamp them together while the glue dries. Build "trusses" by forming triangles with your pieces. Look up "truss bridges" on the web. Always make triangles, that's the secret. Have fun and no you can't eat the bridge when you are done.

 

[liv]

daym

you're ruining my fun! glue and pasta tastes so good! :joke:

actually, i suppose 'spaghetti' was 'false information' we can use anything we like, that's what my teacher said but the total mass can't go over 200g.

 

[Mk]

Is it possible to make a 4 cm^3 block of pasta with the same properties or characteristics as a tiny little section of a spaghetti noodle?

 

[liv]

i don't get your question? suppose you could stick lasange sheets together, but how is that relevant?

 

[Mk]

Just wondering. I mean like the consistency, are thicker pieces of uncooked pasta just as strong as thinner pieces?

 

[liv]

how long's a piece of string...?

if i can compare it to string,

a thick piece of string is strong, lots of little pieces of string are also strong. It comes down to which is stronger...like i said before, i think standing them up on their ends (canneloni) would be strong because there is little strain on the pasts and therefore less reason for it to break...using the triangle supports to hold the lasagne sheets on the top and bottom would make it stronger again...

then again...this is all in theory

 

[liv]

can anyone just tell me which idea is better? or tell me what will work better? thank you...

 

[FluxCapacitator]

This reminds me of a challenge I had in a group once. You had a paper with two black squares, scissors, toothpicks, marshmallows, a few straws, and some gummi drops, and you had to construct a bridge that you could put iron nails on, with the conditions that nothing touches the white part of the paper. There's a way to make a bridge that can hold all the nails they can give you. I'll leave this post up for a while so you can try to figure it out, then give you the way.

 

[Danger]

Your idea of vertical pillars is very sound, and the larger their diameter the better.
Because of the material that you're restricted to, I don't know if this is practical, but remember that the arch is the strongest support structure that you can get.
Finally, if you truly mean that you can use anything that you want to hold the pasta together, I would recommend an aluminum framework.

 

[robphy]

http://abcdpittsburgh.org/kids/kids.htm
http://www.jhu.edu/~virtlab/spaghetti-bridge/
Google is your friend: http://www.google.com/search?q="spaghetti+bridge"

 

[liv]

not the sharpest tool in the shed

Mr. FluxCapacitor,

as the title says, I'm not too bright when it comes to the application of physics...knowing this, would you mind telling me how you can make such a bridge as you described...thank you! love me

 

[brewnog]

Hi Liv,

This obviously is an problem which you're supposed to figure out yourself how to solve! It doesn't matter if you're not a physics whizz, perhaps you could build a few practice bridges and see what works best?

What are your ideas? Have you done as Chi Meson suggested, and research into 'trusses'? This should be fruitful.

Also, have a think about the different types of pasta you could use. You've got a weight limit, so you need to think about what configuration is going to give you the best strength/weight ratio.

 

[FluxCapacitator]

Mr. FluxCapacitor,

as the title says, I'm not too bright when it comes to the application of physics...knowing this, would you mind telling me how you can make such a bridge as you described...thank you! love me

The trick was to cut out the two black squares out of the paper, put them side by side, put a small platform of toothpicks on it, and then just stack the nails on in such a way that they form a little rectangular tower of nails.

It's really a non-physics trick, and I much prefer building bridges to stacking nails :-/ . Still, it was pretty slick and I wish I had thought of it (I just saw someone else do it).

 

[liv]

lol...nice work...never would have thought of that!

 

[sbauer]

If you wanted help Olivia you should have asked me, I feel most disappointed that you resorted to external sources, where as I can talk about any physics topics. Have you not been listening to me in class? "Crumbs"

Speak to me and I'll see what I can help with, alternatively, I can send you the audio cd of what you need to know.

S.Bauer

 

[Danger]

Also, have a think about the different types of pasta you could use. You've got a weight limit, so you need to think about what configuration is going to give you the best strength/weight ratio.

I just had another thought about that. The pasta could be soaked in water, formed or even tongue-in-groove connected, and then allowed to harden back to its original consistency.

 

[liv]

you aren't really mistr bauer! thanks for making me look like an arse!

 

[sbauer]

Oh crumbs, looks like you found me out.

 

[alongwood]

you aren't really mistr bauer! thanks for making me look like an arse!

you don't generally need any help to do that :D

Thanks for the ideas everyone, I'm in the same class and hoping that this will help get my year mark over about 35%