“The Geometry of Strength: An Engineering Bridge Crash Test” Project

“The Geometry of Strength: An Engineering Bridge Crash Test” Project

At Aaly Tokombaev Secondary School No. 24 in Bishkek, students in Grades 9–10 carried out the project “The Geometry of Strength: An Engineering Bridge Crash Test” under the guidance of Inessa Andreevna Grau, a teacher with the “Russian Teacher Abroad” programme.

The project was structured as a comprehensive engineering investigation and involved several stages. First, the students explored the rigidity of different geometric shapes, confirming through both theory and experiments that triangles are particularly resistant to deformation. They then studied various types of bridges—including beam, arch, suspension, truss and combined designs—and selected truss and combined structures as the most suitable options for construction.

During the construction stage, students worked individually or in pairs, building bridges from unexpected materials: paper, twigs, wooden skewers, cotton swabs and pasta.

The project culminated in an exciting crash test: the bridges were placed between tables, and loads were suspended from them until they collapsed. The winner was not the most attractive bridge, but the one that supported the greatest load relative to its own weight.

The project demonstrated how school geometry can become a practical engineering tool, while project-based learning teaches students to investigate, calculate, construct and learn from their mistakes.