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Frequently Asked Questions

​General Questions

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  • Will middle school teams compete against high school teams?
  • Can teachers or schools enter more than one model bridge?
  • Can individual students enter the competition?
  • Are you offering the competition next year?

Guidelines

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  • Your guidelines specify “no element wider nor deeper than 1/8 inches.” Does that apply to joints? For example, can two 1/8-inch x 1/8-inch wood pieces cross each other to make the joint 1/4-inch? Or would we need to use 1/16-inch x 1/16-inch wood strips?
  • I would like to put spacers between two pieces of balsa wood, with the measurement of the entire member (balsa wood pieces and spacers) exceeding 1/8 inches. Would the spacers be ruled as joints, making my bridge legal?
  • The guidelines say commercially available balsa. Does this eliminate the basswood kits that are often used in physics labs?
  • Are cross-members allowed under the balsa wood deck?
  • ​Are gusset plates allowed at joint connections?
  • What type of glue can be used? Our class was wondering if adhesives, such as rubber cement, liquid nail or epoxy styrene resin allowed? Or does the label have to say glue for it to be considered glue?
  • Is there a drawing or design program that is preferred to create our plans?

Design & Product

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  • Is a 10-pound container used as a basis for the weight held up to be 20 kilograms?
  • May we paint our bridge? May we use wood laminate?
  • ​Can we notch the wood?

Report

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  • Can PowerPoint be used in the presentation?
  • For the two-page report, do you want a bibliography? Also, are footnotes required?

Last updated Jul. 9, 2019