Global Bridge

Ambassador School of Global Leadership

Tae Ha Kim
Fatema Maha
John Cedric Yapcengco

Intro:
The purpose of a bridge is to stretch over bodies of water or other physical obstacles. The
concept of a bridge has been around for a long time. They can be either professionally

constructed or put together by neighborhood kids who want to dare each other to cross over a
deep ditch. Bridges built with sturdy designs and tough materials - such as the Ponte Fabricio in
Rome or the Caravan Bride in Izmir, Turkey - tend to last for ages.
The Meaning Behind the Name:
We named ourselves the Global Bridge for two reasons. One being because our team are
from the Ambassador School of Global Leadership, and the second being because there are many
arch bridges worldwide. In an arch bridge, the pressure applied on top of the bridge is
distributed equally along the arch itself and onto the two abutments, the two base supports of an
arch that are securely anchored onto the ground on either side of the bridge. Because the bridge
is at rest, the abutments, therefore, have an equal and opposite force to the downward forces,
creating an arch bridge that can hold a lot of weight.
Objectives/Problem:
The objective of the Popsicle Stick Bridge Competition is to construct a bridge using
standard sized popsicle sticks and glue. The bridge should not exceed the allowed specifications
indicated in the rules. The most points will be awarded to the most efficient bridge that is able to
support the most weight.
Hypothesis: If we properly construct the bridge with reinforced roadbed and supports, the bridge
should be able to hold at least 200 pounds or more.

Scope and Limitations:

The team used the required popsicle sticks with specific dimensions and white Elmers
glue to construct the bridge.
Procedure:

1. Research: Our group discussed various types of bridge systems, such as arches,
beam, and suspension, which we had researched before in our previous experiences with
toothpick bridges in our Physics class. We wanted to combine the strongest aspects of
each type of bridge that we talked about. The design we came up with included an arch
underneath with trusses on the sides. However, we realized that it would take too long to
try to build that particular design and that it would most likely go over the allowed
specifications stated in the rules. Therefore, we decided to examine the bridges our school
had previously entered in the competition. Of the four bridges we had examined, the
beam bridge held the most weight because of the truss design. However, the beam bridge
was not ideal for the stated parameters of the box.
2. Planning: Taking into account the faults of bridges from the previous year, we
planned our design. We decided to make the bottom of the roadbed stronger by
reinforcing it with triangles. Another bridge we examined had a strong roadbed because it
was fortified with two staggered rows of vertical popsicle sticks and had triangles going
from the two members to the middle of the roadbed. We decided on an arch bridge with
trusses on the sides.
3. Construction: The first step we took was sanding our popsicle sticks. While two
of us made members, the third group member worked on making the roadbed. We then
glued the members onto the bridge and built the arches. After building the arches, our
team connected the arches together and the roadbed. Finally, we managed to build our
first bridge.
4. Testing: Now that we had finished constructing our bridge, we had to give it a
trial test. We primarily weighed our bridge and it turned out to be 200 pounds/90,000
grams. Then, we loaded the bridge with multiple textbooks weighing 1500 grams each.
After a total of 16 textbooks, or 52.92 lbs/24,054 grams and added the 20 lbs/9,090 g

weight on top, the total amount our bridge held was 72.92 pounds/33,145 grams.The
efficiency of the bridge was 33,145 grams . We did not meet our goal of 200
pounds/90,000 grams, so we decided to reconstruct another bridge.
5. Restarting: After we realized that our bridge would not work out, we sat down
again and analyzed the bridge for flaws we may have missed and decided what actions
we had to take. We decided to take out the useless parts, such as the middle arch, and use
the popsicles to make our roadbed longer. We also reinforced the supports that connected
the arch to the main roadbed. With this, we finalized our bridge.
Conclusion:
Based on our testings and findings, the following conclusions were drawn:
1. A bridge does not need to be completely symmetrical in order to complete its function.
2. We learned how to be flexible when different problems in our designs were discovered.
3. We also learned how to be creative and not build a stereotypical arch bridge.
4. We should always look at the design of the bridge that will give us a higher efficiency by using
the following formula: efficiency = load supported by the bridge/mass of the bridge.
5. Focus on one design.
Why was the project challenging?:
This project was difficult for several reasons. Primarily, our construction was poorly
done. The first fault was found when our teacher deemed the members measurements uneven.
After a long while, we finally built two acceptable members. We also kept changing the design of
the bridge as we progressed. We thought that having Xs in our beam bridge would be the
strongest possible solution. Then we thought a simple Warren Truss bridge would get the job
done. At last we chose an arch bridge. However, even that was susceptible to change as we
learned more about bridges and what exactly made them so strong. We also had our time

constraints. The only guaranteed time we had to work with each other was during Physics class,
our last period of the day, because all of us had our own schedules, which proved difficult to
arrange. However, we still found ways to communicate and make appropriate accommodations
in order to achieve our goal.
What we learned:
Over the duration of the project, we gained insight on the process of building a bridge.
Although we started out as students with minimal knowledge, we soon learned the necessary
steps to constructing a bridge: the crucial planning and design, factors that make bridges sturdy,
ability to distribute the work, ability to communicate ideas, and the actual process of constructing
our bridge. Not only was this project an important event for the school, but it also was a valuable
experience for us.