Topic 1: Types of Structures
Concepts:
1.Structures can be classified
2.Many manufactures structures are similar in form and function to natural structures.
3. Structures withstand forces in different ways
World Trade Center Collapse
Perimeter columns, several storeys high, and still linked together, lie amongst all the debris on the ground
Dates to Remember
Nov: 16: Title page and 5 questions due. Designing a tower activity.
Nov 19: Forces Activity - journal entry (see site below)
Nov 20: Classifying structures worksheet.
Nov 26: Pyramid questions due.
Nov 28: Bicycle/Human comparison due.
Nov 30: Golf Ball Bridge due.
December 3: Topic 1 Review due.
Definitions
Structures: an object that has a definite size and shape and serves a purpose or function e.g bridge, bike, bee hive, cobweb.
Function: the main purpose of a structure or object
Force: a stress (push or pull) that causes an object to change shape or direction of movement.
Load: the weight carried or supported by an object e.g. a bridge must support the load of traffic over it.
Weight: the amount of force that is exerted on an object by gravity.
Mass: the amount of matter in an object. Mass is usually measured in grams and kilograms. An object's mass remains the same whether the object is on Earth or in space.
Natural structures: structures that are not made by man e.g spiders web, sand dune, feathers
Manufactured structures: structures that are built by people, e.g. buildings, bridges, bikes.
Mass structure: a natural or manufactured structure that is made up by the piling up of materials e.g. brick, pyramid, snow fort.
Frame structure: a type of structure in which a skeleton of materials supports the weight of the other parts e.g. human body, bike, building.
Shell structure: a type of structure that obtains its strength from a thin, carefully shaped outer layer of material and that requires no internal frame, e.g. igloo, egg.
