Physics students went up against each other in a battle of wits and will to see which team could build the best structure. They created everything from a meter high tower with 10 straws and one piece of tape to a platform out of three index cards and one tape to hold up 31 books.

Every day during the week of May 16, the physics classes handled a new challenge to complete, whether the challenge was a boat, a tower or even a bridge.  The students were split up into teams and the best structure received a grade of a 100.

“It’s a project testing who can build the best structure with the right criteria,” junior Jessica Nap said.

The students were asked to build the designated challenge in as much as 30 minutes. One of the challenges was building a boat out of one sheet of aluminum foil that could hold a golf ball. The winning team was announced at the end of each class period when all challenges were measured.

“It is interesting to see who will come out on top,” junior Dominick Stives-Mitchell said.

The challenge is created to push students to think harder and outside the box to meet the criteria. Students learned that sometimes simple is the best way to go; such as cutting off the bending parts of straws to help contrast a meter high tower with one piece of tape and 10 straws. The task required thinking quickly and efficiently to combine small amount of materials to build the biggest structure.

“It’s difficult but fun trying to figure out how to make something so magnificent out of little material,” junior Lindsey Hutchinson said. 

As the challenge comes to an end the students celebrate victories and think about the strategies that could have been used instead.

“Keep it a secret and don’t tell anyone in other classes how you do it,” Stives-Mitchell said.