29 TOOTHPICK STRUCTURE

Trial 2 - Structure

Trial 2 - Testing

Trial 3 - Structure

Trial 3 - Testing

Final Trial - Structure

Final Trial - Testing

The purpose of this project was to build a toothpick structure that can carry the most weight. In this project, by using only white glue and 29 toothpicks, my partner Minji and I built a structure that can hold and balance a series of books. We created 3 trial structures before we built the final structure.

The building requirement was that by using only white glue and 29 toothpicks, the structure had to be at least 2.5cm tall. And the structure had to be able to hold weights in books. While holding the books, the structure had to maintain its stability for 10 seconds.

Our initial design was that each wall of the structure was made up of 7 toothpicks with the ends cut off. And we glued together the 4 walls vertically in the shape of the letter x. The structure was over 2.5cm was able to hold one book for over 10 seconds. Because our structure wasn't fully dried yet, it wasn't able to hold the second book. It fell apart. We learnt from the first trial that the structure needs to be fully dried before it can hold weights.

Our second design was using the same wall idea from the previous trial, but cutting them in halves and stacking them horizontally on top of each other. This time, we didnt vertically stand the walls and we gave the structure enough time to fully dry. It made the height requirement. During the testing, the structure was able to hold 3 books. Because a few of the layers were crooked, the structure tipped over while it was holding the fourth book. It couldn't balance as well as it could have if the layers have been aligned well. We learnt from the second trial that for the structure to be able to hold many books, the structure's sides have to be straight.

Our third design was an upgrade from our first design. It had the same form, but this time the glue had enough time to dry and harden. When we tested the design, it held 2 books. When we tried to balance the third book, the structure twisted and fell apart. I learnt that glue is a big factor in helping the structure hold weights, but also that the design itself wasn't as efficient in holding heavy weights.

Our final design was an upgrade from the second design. So we stacked layers of toothpicks and this time, we lined each layer more carefully so it is more balanced on each and every side. And we applied lots of glue and let it to dry over the weekend. Our structure was able to hold 7 books. On the eighth book, it was hard to keep balance with the stack of books on top of the structure and it fell.

To make the structure even stronger next time, i would spend more time and dedication assembling the structure. If the structure itself is not balanced, it would not be able to hold heavy weights. It would fall down. I learnt about working on a longer project that you can make significant improvement during the process. And I learnt that even you make a mistake, it is important to spot the mistake and figure out a way of fixing it for the next design.

For more information, see below to check out my document!