Thirty-three teams took part this week in the “2008 Physics Bridge Challenge,” an annual Popsicle stick bridge-building competition hosted by the Society of Physics Students, with the winning entry holding more than 11 kilograms of sand.
Teams competed Nov. 12 in the McMichael Science Building to see which bridge could support the most weight. To qualify, a bucket and a two-kilogram weight must have been supported by the structure. After a team qualified, SPS remembers began adding sand until the bridge collapsed.
The contest tasks teams with using no more than 100 Popsicle sticks and glue to construct bridges at least 100 centimeters long.
Amy Eubanks, Melissa Gaisser and Kelsey Tapena won the grand prize for their effort. “MAK Bridge” held 11.1 kilograms of sand, the sixth highest total of all time. The teammates received free T-shirts from the Society of Physics Students and extra credit in class.
– Daniel Glass ‘11, vice president, Society of Physics Students
