Structures

Our class' fifth unit of inquiry is about buildings and structures.

The central idea is: //buildings and structures are designed with many factors in mind//.

In this unit we will follow these lines of inquiry:
 * Materials used in building and construction
 * Considerations to take into account when building a structure
 * Designs and trends for the future


 * Structural Forces**

Some of the considerations engineers have to think about are the structural forces that will impact on the building or bridge.



As a year level we applied five structural forces to materials such as paddle-pop sticks, straws and cardboard cylinders. We applied the forces to the materials singularly before strengthening them by grouping the sticks and straws, and filling the empty cylinders.

The button below shows how we rated the materials against the forces using bar graphs.



After rating the materials and discovering more about each force we created a list of similes (words that mean the same) for each force. The list below will show you the similes we formed.

Pushing together, Squishing, Squashing, Squeezing, Flattening
 * Compression**

Pulling apart, Ripping, Stretching, Tearing, Making longer, Making thinner
 * Tension**

Curving, Arching, Folding, Creasing, Curling
 * Bending**

Twisting, Turning, Winding, Twirling, Wringing
 * Torsion**

Pushing over, Tackling, Leaning, Falling over, Tilting
 * Shearing**


 * Building Labs**

After our experiments we explored other factors that need to be considered using the [|Building Labs] website. We reviewed our knowledge of forces as well as investigated shapes, materials and loads.

These inquiries will help us design and construct our own structures.

Eliza's Structures at Home