Statue Display Tower

Student Worksheet:
Golden Book Design Challenge

 Scenario
A gold statue of a book was created by one of America’s top artists in celebration of America’s first public library.  The statue will sit in the main entrance of your local library for a week.  It will continue to be moved from library to library throughout the year.  A tower must be built to hold the statue so it can be on display for all to see and also be able to be taken apart and reassembled for each move.  The engineering team that can design the lowest cost display tower that meets all of the criteria will be awarded the contract.

 Design Challenge
Design and construct a display tower for your local library that supports the golden book and is able to be taken apart and reassembled easily while still being low cost.

 Criteria
The display tower must be:
•	4 feet tall
•	Able to support 2 lb for 2 minutes (minimum)
•	Taken apart and fit into a 2-gallon bag 
•	Reassembled easily (least amount of steps)
•	Low cost 
•	Aesthetically pleasing (unique shapes/patterns, construction is neat, nice color)
•	Free standing (not attached to any surface)

 Constraints
•	You can use only the material provided.
•	You can only make a total of 3 trips to the store to purchase materials

 Final Score (Lowest Score Wins Contract)
Aesthetic Score = 0 (Excellent), 5 (Okay), 10 (Needs Works)
Assembly Steps (Total steps to be reassembled) = 
Total Score = Cost + Number of Criteria NOT met + Aesthetic Score + Assembly Steps
Statue Display Tower

Student Worksheet (continued):

•	Pieces of cardboard: $0.50 (small), $0.75 (med), and $1.00 (large)	
•	Newspaper: $0.01 (per sheet)	
•	Index cards: $0.05 (for 1)	
•	Paper: 0.05 (per sheet)	
•	Card stock: $0.50 (per sheet)	
•	Clay: $0.25 (per 1” piece)	
•	Straws: $0.10 (for 1)	
•	Pipe cleaners: $0.10 (for 1)	
•	Skewers: $2.00 (for 1)	
•	Dowels: $5.00 (for 1)	
•	Paper Clips: $0.15 (for 1)	
•	Binder Clips: $1.00 (for 1)	
•	Brass Fasteners: $0.25 (for 1)	
•	Masking Tape: $2.00 (per 1 foot)	
•	String: $0.25 (per foot)	
•	Aluminum Foil: $0.50 (per 6”)	
•	Craft Wire: $1:00 (per 1 foot)	
 Material Costs

  Planning Stage
Meet as a team and discuss the problem you need to solve. Then develop and agree on a design for your statue display tower. You'll need to determine what materials you want to use.

Draw your design below, and be sure to indicate the description and number of parts you plan to use. 

Team members:___________________________________________________________

Brainstorm possible solutions:

Statue Display Tower

Student Worksheet (continued):

Choose BEST solution and SKETCH it (make sure to LABEL your sketch):

Statue Display Tower

Student Worksheet (continued):

MATERIAL LIST

Materials and Cost	How Many Trip 1	How Many Trip 2 	How Many Trip 3	TOTAL Used
	TOTAL Cost	
•	Pieces of corrugated cardboard (different sizes): $0.50 (small), $0.75 (med), and $1.00 (large)						
•	Newspaper: $0.01 (per sheet)						
•	Index cards: $0.05 (for 1)						
•	Paper: 0.05 (per sheet)						
•	Card stock: $0.50 (per sheet)						
•	Clay: $0.25 (per 1” piece)						
•	Straws: $0.10 (for 1)						
•	Pipe cleaners: $0.10 (for 1)						
•	Skewers: $2.00 (for 1)						
•	Dowels: $5.00 (for 1)						
•	Paper Clips: $0.15 (for 1)						
•	Binder Clips: $1.00 (for 1)						
•	Brass Fasteners: $0.25 (for 1)						
•	Masking Tape: $2.00 (per foot)						
•	String: $0.25 (per foot)						
•	Aluminum Foil: $0.50 (per 6”)						
•	Craft Wire: $1.00 (per foot)						

TOTAL COST

 Construction Phase
Build your statue display tower. During construction you may decide you need additional materials or that your design needs to change. This is ok – just make a new sketch and revise your materials list.

 Testing Phase
Each team will test their statue display tower. If your design is unsuccessful, redesign (purchase more materials if necessary- Round 2) and test again. Be sure to watch the tests of the other teams and observe how their different designs worked.

Statue Display Tower

Student Worksheet (continued):

Sketch your final design (make sure to label your sketch):

  Evaluation Phase
Evaluate your team’s results, complete the evaluation worksheet, and present your findings to the class.

Use this worksheet to evaluate your team's results in the Statue Display Tower Lesson:

Did your solution meet the criteria? 
The display tower must be:	YES	NO	
•	4 feet tall			
•	Able to support 2 lbs for 2 minutes 			
•	Free standing (not attached to any surface)			
•	Fit into a 2 gallon bag when taken apart			

Assembly Steps (Total steps to be reassembled) = 

1.	If you had time to redesign again, what changes would you make? 

2.	What went well? 

Statue Display Tower

Student Worksheet (continued):

3.	What didn’t go well? 

4.	Where there any trades-offs (an exchange that occurs as a compromise or concession) you had to make with your design?  (For example: cost and performance) If so, explain: 

5.	What is your favorite step in the engineering design process and why? 

6.	What is your favorite element of your design and why?

 
Aesthetic Score = 0 (Excellent), 5 (Okay), 10 (Needs Works)
Total Score = Cost + Number of Criteria NOT met + Aesthetic Score + Assembly Steps

TOTAL SCORE: ___________________