| Attachment | Size |
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| A Student in Mr. Hatfield's Class Builds a Straw Bridge | 213.22 KB |
| A Student in Mr. Hatfield's Class Builds a Straw Bridge | 134.66 KB |
Bridges, many people ride on them but very few make them. However Mr. Hatfield, a science teacher, had all his students make bridges out of plastic straws, and with all the competition for candy there were some crazy ideas for bridges. Many strange ideas included: one half straw, 20 straw bundle, and a cube. The more successful ideas looked more like real bridges. A school record was set by a truss bridge (a common bridge with struts) that held six pounds, it may not seem like a lot but these are straw bridges, so they aren't very strong.
Although 6 pounds was the record, it was usurped a day later by a small arrow looking bridge that was put upside down for a total of 10 pounds!
The creator of said bridge was James Tripp, a seventh grader, who confessed that he stole the idea. He also said, “It was a fun opportunity to make bridges.”
He swears that if his partner had been there he would have failed because he would have had it right side up, and this would have weakened it. James had fun eating his candy bar prize and then gloating about how he holds the all time school record.
Mr. Hatfield taught the students about force and weight and their effect on bridges. He told the students about how he liked student suggestions and that is why he did this project, because the kids wanted to. After creating the bridges, many students took on the motto of Alex Mitchell, a seventh grader, who loved saying “MORE TAPE!” and used crazy math to help his group.
If you enjoy watching things break, then you can join Mr. Hatfields class next year!