Success!
...and failure.
Today we held an induction exercise which challenged small groups of new students to design (in the loosest sense of the word) and construct (in an even looser sense) a structure out of straws, bits of string, tape, paper and staples. The aim was to build the tallest structure with a maximum footprint of 150 x 150 mm which could support a load of 0.5kg. As there was no wolf in the Portsmouth area at the time, the wicked Richard Wise was on hand to huff, puff, measure and apply the weight. The tallest structure (another loose term) in the Property Development and Quantity Surveying teams measured 608 mm. There were taller assemblies of bits and pieces, but these failed to withstand the load test, despite several steward's enquiries. (I apologise to any academic reading this. I know we do not like to use the F word in education, but in this case there could be no other description. They failed, as well).
Hi Steve
ReplyDeleteWe'll be doing a similar exercise with our new students as part of our Induction programme. They have to build the tallest possible structure capable of supporting an orange, using only newspaper and sellotape.I'l let you know how they get on.
Tony