Gumdrop Structures: Engineering Challenge

Use toothpicks and gumdrops to create a stable structure that is able to support the weight of a textbook!

 MATERIALS:

  • 10 gumdrops

  • 20 toothpicks

  • A textbook

  • A disposable surface such as a paper plate or paper towels (optional)

TIME ESTIMATED:

20 minutes

DIRECTIONS: 

  1. Using the gumdrops and toothpicks, build a structure within a limited amount of time that can hold the textbook. You can ask an adult for guidance if you get stuck.

  2. Experiment with different ways to build your structure.

    Consider these questions:

    • How will your roof affect the structure’s ability to be tested?

    • How can you strengthen the joints?

    • Since you discovered one triangle is good, would two be even better?

    • How could you change/broaden the base to give the structure more support?

    • How does the number of toothpicks stuck into one gumdrop affect the strength of the joint?

    • It looks like the length of the toothpick limits you. Is a solution to this problem worth exploring?

  3. Test your structure to see if it can support the textbook. It's ok if it can't! Discuss why some structures could support the textbook whereas others failed.

Think LIke a Scientist!

  1. What makes a structure strong?

HOW DOES IT WORK? 

Certain structures are more stable than others. Large bases can support more weight and triangles are strong relative to other shapes. If you tried to make a mostly square-shaped structure with your toothpicks and gumdrops, your structure was likely unable to hold the weight of the book. This is because squares and rectangles can collapse and flatten when a load is placed on them. A structure composed mainly of triangles does a much better job holding the book than a rectangular structure does. This is because a triangle's sides are able to evenly distribute the weight of its load. Also, the angles of a triangle are unable to be changed without changing the side lengths, which means that a triangle is unable to collapse the same way a rectangle can. 

Having a large base is another way to make a structure more stable. This is because a wide base makes it much easier for a structure to balance. This is also why standing with your feet far apart feels much more stable than standing with your feet right next to each other.

Further exploration:

In this activity, you experimented with different ways to create a strong structure able to support a heavy load. You generated and compared multiple solutions to a problem based on how well they met the criteria and constraints of the design solution. Engineers do a lot of the processes that we just did today! In order to build huge buildings or bridges, engineers must think about their designs and decide which will be the strongest and best-looking.

Anticipated concerns:

Students may eat the gumdrops or get splinters from the toothpicks.

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