Powhatan County Public Schools

Powhatan County Public Schools Engineering Our World

How Tall is Your Tower?

Adapted from a lesson developed by the MathScience Innovation Center.

Question What design is needed to create a very tall tower that will stand on its own?

Grade/Subject Math, Science and Technology, all ages

Background Measurement, geometry shapes, strength

Safety Remember to follow your regular classroom rules for labs and activities.

Materials Measuring devices - rulers (cm and in), tape measures (cm and in), yard/meter stick 2 sheets of paper – 8 ½ x 11 25 cm of masking tape Scissors

Design Challenge Using the materials provided, build a tower taller than 60 cm that will stand on its own, without being taped to a table or the floor.

Results What is the height of your tower?

How does the height compare with the heights of other towers in the room?

Engineering Activity 7/11/08 Page 1 Analysis What can you do to make the tower taller? How would the design be different if you had to be able to balance an egg on the top of the tower?

Research the design of historically tall towers to determine how they are constructed. Is it possible to apply those methods of construction without using different materials than paper and tape? If so, what materials would you recommend using while keeping to a very low budget?

References pbskids.org/zoom

MathScience Innovation Center Information on educational programs available to students, teachers and school divisions and procedures for registering for programs. http://mathsciencecenter.info

Engineering Activity 7/11/08 Page 2