Fettuccine Structure
In order to create the most successful tower, it was important to consider all of the design choices we needed to make. The structure was built to be a bit larger than the height requirement, and much lighter in mass. The original design used much less pasta and tape then given. After placing a book with a low mass on top, it was obvious that the structure would tilt immediately once released completely. By using the pasta to create geometrical shapes such as triangles that could be placed in certain parts of the structure, we were able to stop the tilt. The extra support and push upwards to the opposite corner strengthened the structure. It was able to withstand the piece of paper (as predicted) and the small book. The structure was not strong enough to support the heavier textbook.
Newton's third law of motion states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. This law applies directly to the engineering activity. The force of gravity and the normal force of the paper and book, where no greater than the force that the structure provided upwards for the objects. However, the textbook had a much greater mass than the structure, and due to the lack of stability and strength, the structure collapsed. A textbook with equal mass to the structure would be held easily. The heavier an object gets, the more difficult it is for the structure to provide an equal or greater force upward. If I were to complete this activity again, I would focus more on the thickness of the “beams” or pasta, and perhaps increase the mass of the structure. This may allow the structure to stand for a longer amount of time and produce the correct upwards force needed for success in this lab
In order to create the most successful tower, it was important to consider all of the design choices we needed to make. The structure was built to be a bit larger than the height requirement, and much lighter in mass. The original design used much less pasta and tape then given. After placing a book with a low mass on top, it was obvious that the structure would tilt immediately once released completely. By using the pasta to create geometrical shapes such as triangles that could be placed in certain parts of the structure, we were able to stop the tilt. The extra support and push upwards to the opposite corner strengthened the structure. It was able to withstand the piece of paper (as predicted) and the small book. The structure was not strong enough to support the heavier textbook.
Newton's third law of motion states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. This law applies directly to the engineering activity. The force of gravity and the normal force of the paper and book, where no greater than the force that the structure provided upwards for the objects. However, the textbook had a much greater mass than the structure, and due to the lack of stability and strength, the structure collapsed. A textbook with equal mass to the structure would be held easily. The heavier an object gets, the more difficult it is for the structure to provide an equal or greater force upward. If I were to complete this activity again, I would focus more on the thickness of the “beams” or pasta, and perhaps increase the mass of the structure. This may allow the structure to stand for a longer amount of time and produce the correct upwards force needed for success in this lab