Mrs. Elias 7th grade Math Geometry Final Project
Welcome!
Final Project
You will create a tower from toothpicks and raisins, keeping in mind the geometric shapes we have been studying. Your final tower must be strong enough to support a tennis ball.
We have been watching the construction of our new school through our classroom window. We saw the men knocking down the trees, pouring the foundation and presently putting up the brick walls. We can see many geometric shapes within the construction of our new building.
Lesson 1: Research
Lesson 3: Create
Find pictures of bridges, towers or other structures that use geometric shapes in their construction. Use these pictures as ideas for your tower.
Clark Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
Building with Toothpicks
Physics for Kids
Science & Technology
Toothpick Architecture
Use toothpicks and raisins to build a cube. How many toothpicks and raisins did you need? Use additional pieces to strengthen the cube. Describe and submit a detailed explanation of how you strengthened your cube.
You might need to download
Adobe Acrobat Reader
in order to view the
Cube Model
Lesson 4: Measure
Lesson 2: Analyze
Use toothpicks and raisins to build a triangle and a square. Carefully, wiggle each figure in all directions. Which is more sturdy? Add toothpicks to strengthen the weaker one.
Discover why truss bridges are strong. Look over the discoveries by these students very carefully.
Write your analysis that includes: 1.Your discription of which figure was stronger, and how you strengthend the weaker one.
2. List the reasons why truss bridges are strong.
Sketch a design of a tower that is at least 4 inches tall. How many toothpicks are needed? Build your tower using glue instead of raisins. Test it gently with a tennis ball. If the tower shows signs of weakness, reinforce it!!
Some paper that may be of help are:
Isometric Dot Paper
Square Dot Paper
Email us!
Lesson 5: Presentation
Make your tower attractive and strong. You will have to demonstrate to the class that your tower will support the tennis ball. You will then turn in all sketches, pictures and explanations to me. Be prepared for me to ask you some questions about your project during your presentation.