Week 6 Blog Post

Over the course of last week, week 5, we worked more with Knex. We put together some great ideas from everyone in the group to create one group bridge. We, as a group, decided to spend a little more money, using a lot of pieces, and attempt to build a bridge that can hold very large amounts of weight. We were able to test the bridge and were very happy with the results. Our bridge was able to hold more weight than could be fit in the testing bucket. In regards to the difference between Knex and WPBD, I stand by my previously stated differences. The biggest differences are still the physical presence of the Knex bridge and the overdramatized bridge movements in WPBD.
There are many differences between working with Knex and building a real steel bridge spanning about twenty feet. The first and most important difference is that in the construction of a Knex bridge, no lives are in danger. With the Knex bridge, a small scale model is created to simply test how much weight the bridge can hold versus the estimated cost of producing the bridge in real life. Another major difference between creating a Knex bridge and a real bridge is that the Knex bridge will not be exposed to weather and other natural effects that factor into a bridge's functionality such as wind, rain and extreme heat. These factors would also wear down a standard bridge over time by means of corrosion.
This week, we plan to do more testing on our bridge and edit it accordingly. We will possibly remove some less important pieces that could save us some money. Depending on the outcome of the tests, we may decide to alter the bridge's design slightly. I would like to do a little more testing of our bridge's ability to distribute weight and make necessary adjustments. My biggest fear is that the bridge will not be able to evenly distribute the weight of the bucket. Regardless, I am excited to continue working on our bridge in lab this week.