Before I got introduced to the arch design
It was on a Thursday, that ma’am asked us to do the bridge-making activity with one material. The topic was engineering but Seema ma’am making it quite imaginative by giving us the freedom is what encouraged me to do this project. I searched on the internet for a design that I could make at home, but I did not find the results very interesting.
How I got introduced to the Arch Design
Coincidently, it was then that my younger brother was watching ‘London Bridge is Falling Down.’ In the rhyme, the cartoons tried several bridges but the one which could stand without falling and take weight was the arch bridge (I did not know about it at that time). I was confused and curious to know why only the arch bridge did not fall. I asked my father about it and he explained the arch bridge along with its principle to me. That is how the arch bridge came to my knowledge. Even though my father explained the principle, the arch design was still conceptual in my mind.
My Overall Experience
Finding more information about arch bridges was a part I found thoroughly fascinating and captivating. It came to my attention that the arch design is inspired by nature, the egg example I gave proves this point. That is what shot up my interest in this topic. Nature is willing to offer us so much, including knowledge in simple day-to-day items, all that we need to do is observe and connect. Building the model was an inquisitive experience and I relish every step of it. However, at the start, I was inquisitive to know if soap bars being slippery were suitable for the arch bridge. Some more research answered my doubts. Putting together the data and demonstrations in a video was enjoyable. By doing this activity, I have not only understood the concept of arch bridges but have also learned many different values. What made this project interesting was the opportunity to learn something new, spread knowledge about something different, trying something new or different without knowing the result, connecting daily life incidents with all I learned, finding out that ideas can be brought from something you wouldn’t expect (a nursery rhyme for instance) … Physics is theoretical but the fun is real.
Thank you.
Swara Rasal
Class – 7C
