Tall Tower Challenge

Student Worksheet:
Applying Technology to Solve Problems

 Engineering Teamwork and Planning
You are part of a team of engineers given the challenge of building the tallest tower you can build using only 50 straws, 50 pipe cleaners, and 25 paperclips.  

You do not need to use all the materials, but your tower must support the weight of a golf ball for two minutes.  The golf ball must be supported near the top of the tower, with the bottom of the ball no more than 20% below the upper height of the tower.

 Planning and Design Phase
Think about the different ways you can bend or change the shape of straws, pipe cleaners, and paper clips.  You may cut these items, but cannot use tape or other materials to connect them together. In the box below, draw your plan for the tower.  

	
  Tall Tower Challenge

Student Worksheet:

 Construction Phase
Build your tower and test it to see if it can support the golf ball.  Then, answer the questions below:

1. How similar was your design to the actual tower you built.

2. If you found you needed to make changes during the construction phase, describe why
your team decided to make revisions.

3.  Did you use all the parts provided to you?  Were any of the parts used only to increase the height of the tower?

 Presentation and Measurement

Present your tower to the class and have your teacher measure the height of the tower.  Bear in mind that the golf ball must be supported near the top of the tower, with the bottom of the ball no more than 20% below the upper height of the tower.  If the ball is lower that 10% from the top, your tower will be disqualified.  Complete the box below for your tower:

Overall height of the bottom of the ball on/in tower	Distance from bottom of golf ball to top of tower	Percentage of tower supporting golf ball.	

			

  Tall Tower Challenge

Student Worksheet (continued): 

 Evaluation 
Complete the evaluation questions below:

1. Describe the shape or construction of the tower that was the tallest and won the challenge?  How was this tower different from yours, if yours did not win?

2. If you had a chance to do this project again, what would your team have done
differently?

3.  Do you think that this activity was more rewarding to do as a team, or would you have preferred to work alone on it? Why?  

4. If you could have used one additional material (tape, glue, wood sticks, foil -- as examples) which would you choose and why?

5. Do you think that once a building is designed and approved for construction that many aspects are changed during the building process?  Why or why not?

6. How long do you think it will take before a building is constructed that surpasses the height of the Burj Khalifa?  Where do you think it will be built?  Why?