Megabloks Bridge Span Engineering Challenge

Megabloks, Engineering, Challenge, Physics
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The Megabloks Bridge Building Challenge

This challenge is suitable for kids and adults. A great family challenge that gets children thinking about and learning about STEM with a focus on engineering.

Megabloks Bridge Engineering Challenge

Related: Megabloks Teaching Kids STEM
Related: Poly Bridge, A Bridge Building App

Least Megabloks Wins

The aim of this STEM engineering challenge is to create a bridge span using the least amount of Megabloks as possible. The challenge rules are below and so is the scoring system so you can compete against each other.

The Challenge Rules

1) You can only use standard Megabloks sizes and the official Megabloks brand. No odd or unusual blocks allowed.

2) The span is set at 90cm.

3) It had to remain in place for 30 seconds after you let go of your last block.

4) No blocks can touch the ground between the two sides. EG, no support poles.

5) No glue or sticky residue can be used.

6) No other items can be used to assist your bridge.

Scoring the Bridge Span Challenge

The scoring for this challenge is easy. The person with the lowest score wins.

Each nodule of the Megabloks is counted as 1, and a double high block is counted as 2 for each nodule. Here are a few examples:

Megabloks Engineering Challenge Scoring

Setting Up for the Bridge

You can setup for the bridge building challenge any way you like. But here are our tips:

1) The two sides should be the same height and exactly 90cm apart.

2) Glue down the supports or make sure they are sturdy, as you don't want them slipping around.

3) Allow for a lot of sag. Megabloks will sag a fair bit and still remain in place, so allow some height.

4) The supports should be square, not round. A square edge will be a lot easier to place your bridge on.

How Did You Go?

When you complete the challenge, add up your score, take a photo and share it with us.

Tag us on Facebook (stemmayhem), or on Instagram (@stemmayhem).

We had a go and you can view our results here: STEM Mayhem tries the Megabloks Engineering Challenge.

Challenge Modifications

This Megabloks challenge was created by us here at STEM Mayhem. We set up the rules so that others can share and compare results. However, feel free to change this challenge to suit your family.

Maybe you have a ton of Megabloks and want to create a 200cm span. Maybe you want to set a sag limit. You might even want to have rules about other types of Megabloks. It's all up to you. Just make sure you are having fun!

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