This activity involves building a bridge that can safely support an egg.
Please note that this activity should be done under adult supervision
You will first need a 'gap' to build a bridge over. To create this, you will need two objects of the same height on a flat surface with a gap of 15cm between them. Ideally these objects want to only be about 3cm tall - reducing the risk of a mess if your egg falls. Cover the object and the table with a layer of clingfilm to protect them if the egg breaks.
Once you have the 'gap' set up, make sure you only have A4 paper, drinking straws and paperclips available.
In 30 minutes, you are to build a bridge across the gap that will be able to hold the egg.
The catch is that you have a budget of 50 credits. Each sheet of paper costs 5 credits, each paperclip costs 2 credits and each drinking straw costs 10 credits.
You have 30 minutes
You cannot use more than 50 credits of materials
The finished bridge should be able to hold an egg in the middle without it or the egg touching the ground beneath.
The egg should not touch the bridge until the time is up - this means no testing during the building.
If you enjoyed this activity, here are some suggestions for how to make it more challenging:
Reduce how many credits you're allowed to use.
Make the gap that the bridge needs to span wider.
Use an object heavier than an egg for the test.