For our science topic of Earth and space science, we had to construct tower out of spaghetti and blu tack that could resist Primary and Secondary waves (earthquake waves). The tower had to be at least 60cm tall with a maximum base of 30x30cm, and the most challenging part, the cost had to be below $60 with each spaghetto costing $1, and one gram of blu tack costing $1.
First we had to define our task and the problem to be solved. For this task we had to create a tower able to withstand 10 seconds of P and S waves with specified dimensions. To decide on designs, we had to research strategies used to make earthquake resistant buildings. The most common feature we discovered was cross bracing, which helped keep the shape of the tower. Next we had to design our prototype. We combined cross bracing with triangular pyramids to create multiple paths for the energy to disperse through. Our first prototype was able to withstand the simulated earthquake, but the top of the tower shook quite a bit. Once we evaluated our design, we improved our design by adding more support to the top layer. Finally, we tested our improved design, which worked as anticipated.
Our first design
I think we could have been able to create a better tower if we created multiple strategies. By seeing through one design, we ignore the other features we could have used, such as shear walls. We could have improved the process by trying multiple different designs, and combine the best aspects of each design to make a singular design.
For this investigation I was in group of two, with myself being the project manager and speaker, with my partner being the equipment manager and reporter. I was project manager because of my ability to adapt to different scenarios, such as when our tower started falling during construction. I was speaker because I had more connections with outside experts, and I had more experience with communication. My partner was reporter because they had more experience in organising timelines and time management, so they kept us on track with deadlines. They were equipment manager because of their organisational skills.