Thank you so much for being a part of my bridge’s journey… ur videos helps me sm :) my competition is on Saturday and I’ve watched all ur videos on how to build bridges. Thank you for existing :)
I love this content. Wow. Just wow. One way my teams have been trying to describe what their structures weigh is via dimes: so Nationals that year would have required holding full mass while only weighing in at about 2 dimes. (If I remember what they weighed the dimes in at... :) ) Keep it coming, from one coach to another!
I think you could get something with 3 legs to work, but I don't think it would be lighter than the equivalent 4 leg design. It's really a tiny amount of mass that ties the legs together so the single leg would not only have to be twice as strong as the other two, it would need to be strong enough to withhold the buckling which the cross bracing also is critically important with. In part 3 of this series I'll show this in a bit more detail
Another tricky thing you'd have to deal with is the tension components potentially crossing the mid-point where the chain hangs down with just 3 legs. Also, the rules in 2014-2015 specified that the bridge had to be 5cm wide along the entire span, so that would basically eliminate a tripod type design. It's a neat thought experiment though!
this is a literal master class. I'm so glad I'm watching you for free.
Thanks, I appreciate the kind words! I just finished Part 2, so look for that to go live soon.
Thank you so much for being a part of my bridge’s journey… ur videos helps me sm :) my competition is on Saturday and I’ve watched all ur videos on how to build bridges. Thank you for existing :)
Thanks for all the positive feedback! Good luck with your competition on Saturday!
I love this content. Wow. Just wow.
One way my teams have been trying to describe what their structures weigh is via dimes: so Nationals that year would have required holding full mass while only weighing in at about 2 dimes. (If I remember what they weighed the dimes in at... :) )
Keep it coming, from one coach to another!
Thanks!! I really appreciate the positive feedback!
Do you think a bridge with 3 legs, or even two legs would work in a actual competition?
Good question! I'm not sure about 2 legs, but 3...? Good call!
I think you could get something with 3 legs to work, but I don't think it would be lighter than the equivalent 4 leg design. It's really a tiny amount of mass that ties the legs together so the single leg would not only have to be twice as strong as the other two, it would need to be strong enough to withhold the buckling which the cross bracing also is critically important with. In part 3 of this series I'll show this in a bit more detail
Another tricky thing you'd have to deal with is the tension components potentially crossing the mid-point where the chain hangs down with just 3 legs. Also, the rules in 2014-2015 specified that the bridge had to be 5cm wide along the entire span, so that would basically eliminate a tripod type design. It's a neat thought experiment though!