Building a Bridge: Introduction and Progress Report #1 (D block)

Mr. Joslin's Applied Physics D and F Block classes have been challenged to complete a whole new project: building a modular bridge across a 100-feet pond. Our budget is 200$ in total, so we will try to use as many free materials as possible and create the cheapest design, finding and purchasing the least expensive materials. The project's goal is to allow Mr. Joslin to safely walk across the pond, from the ARC to the lawn, whitout getting wet (and we recommend you to be there during the final exam, because there's the chance of an unexpected plunge!).

The project started with group brainstorming: the class was divided into groups of two, with the task to create two concepts each and then compare them with the rest of the class; at the end of the first week, we decided for a barrel-based, floating design. We were able to purchase 20 55-gallon waterproof barrels for 50$, and on Monday created the first prototype of a module: a 5-feet design, composed by two barrels connected by a wooden frame.

The first challenge we encountered was stability: because of the small width of the frame and the difficulty to center it on the barrels, a person walking on it would cause the whole section to tilt and eventually capsize.