Toothpick bridge challenge

For the toothpick bridge challenge, my team and I were faced with the task of constructing a bridge to span a 12-inch gap out of toothpicks. We decided on a triangular design with similar bases at the ends to provide support.

The bridge utilized a beam below to keep it from falling in on itself, anf supprts at the ends of the bases to keep it from falling in on itself. After a very small amount of weight was added, barely smaller than a roll of duct tape, the bridge compacted in on itself and was exhibiting extreme stress. My team and I decided to create a new bridge to combat the issues we had seen, such as:
- The height of our original model was too tall, raising the center of gravity and making it more prone to falling
- The design was not sturdy enough, and required reinforced beams
- The bases were not large enough, and required more surface area and a wider bottom to disperse weight and keep from falling over.

We were able to fix all of the issues that were presented to us by using beams of three toothpicks each, and by redeisgning our bases with a wide trapezoidal design..

the new bridge was quite heavy for a toothpick bridge, but was surprisingly sturdy. Easily spanning the gap, the bridge was able to hold over 400 AA batteries, and the bridge itself weighed roughly 81 grams. The end result was spectacular to witness, and extremely gratifying.

Our bridge finally broke due to stress on the glue bonds. Strangely enough, the bridge broke due to the glue failing, and no actual beams were broken in the process. It was able to hold roughly 410 batteries