UNIT 2.

STRUCTURES
1.- Students’ Objectives / Competences:

At the end of this unit, you should:

know about the difference between natural and man-made structures.

know about the difference between the three types of structures: shell, frame and mass.

give examples of each type.

know about the different kinds of forces that can act in a body.

know about the centre of gravity.

2.- Students’ Assessment

• Participation in class + student’s dossier exercises.

• Center of mass challenges
• Challenge activity: Spaghetti towers
• Quiz

ACTIVITIES

Activity 1. Dictation. Complete the definitions of natural and human-made structures listening
to the teacher. Then correct the mistakes done.

All physical bodies or objects have a structure. The ____________ of a structure is to maintain the
object’s shape and not to break when a ___________ acts on it. An elephant’s _____________ or the
walls of a building are examples of structures. Sometimes the structure is ___________ identified
inside the body or object, such as the bones of ______________, the frame of a boat or the columns
and beams in a _______________. For other objects, the structures aren’t easy to _______________
because the whole object forms the structure.
There are two types of structures:
• Natural structures are not made by ______________. They’re in or made by ___________
things, or the result of ________________ processes. For example, the shell of a
____________, a _____________ nest or a cave.

• Human-made structures are made by people to satisfy a _____________. For example, the
frame of a boat, the legs of a table, or a mobile phone _____________.
A structure ____________ a body or object from breaking or ________________. The larger
something is, the more important its structure is. Large constructions, such as bridges or
____________, have to withstand ________ forces so they have large structures, ___________ a
small object may have a structure which we can ________________ see.

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Activity 2. In your notebook, explain the purpose of these structures. Are they natural or
human-made?
a. A skeleton
b. A plastic cup
c. A boat
d. A crab’s shell
e. A bee’s nest
f. A cave

The purpose of a/an _______ is to provide support/ hold/offer…….

The primary function of _________ is to provide / support/ hold/ offer…….

A/an…… is a natural/ human-made structure.

Activity 3. Classify the following structures as man-made or as natural structures. Answer the
questions below.

Natural structures Man-made structures

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 a) What other natural structures can you think of?

b) Name any three man-made structures that provide protection.

c) Name any three man-made structures that provide support.

d) Name any three man-made structures that contain things.

Activity 4. Classify the following structures in the table below as shell, frame or mass
structures:
Mug; electricity pylon; mountain; pyramids; human skull; brick; garden chair; crane; scaffolding;
hammer; spider web; dog kennel; soccer ball; wooden log; ostrich egg; dome; rocks; coral reef;
bicycle helmet.
Shell Structures Frame Structures Mass Structures

Activity 5. We are going to watch a video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YdlcElf3os)

about an amusement park and its rollercoasters. Then, answer the questions:

1. How many attractions does the park a) Minebuster

have?
b) Shambala
a) Less than 100
c) Flight deck
b) Over 200
3. Can you name the three parts of a
c) Over 2000 rollercoaster?

2. What’s the name of the longest -

wooden rollercoaster?
-
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 - a) Shell

- b) Solid

4. What kind of structures can be seen in c) Frame

the park?
8. Point out the requirements in order to
a) Frame structures build a rollercoaster:

b) Solid structures -strength -unsafely -support

c) Shell structures -history -neatness -fun

d) All the answers are correct -beauty -cost -morphology

5. Which type of structure is the -safety

cheapest?
9. Once the train is dragged to the top of
a) Shell the hill, the only thing that pushes the
coaster to the rest of the track is…
b) Solid
a) Electricity
c) Frame
b) Gravity
6. Which kind of structure allows the
entire unit to support the load? c) Speed of light

a) Shell 10. The main mechanism function of a

roller coaster is:
b) Frame
a) The lifting mechanism
c) Solid
b) The track
7. Which kind of structure is the most
expensive to build? c) The high itself

Activity 6. Work in pairs. Say if the force has a static or dynamic effect on these actions.
a. Hitting a golf ball
b. Pushing a shopping trolley
c. Your heart pumping blood
d. Sitting down on a sofa
e. A picture hanging on a wall

Ex: The force in hitting a golf ball has a ... effect.

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Activity 7. Copy these diagrams into your notebook. Explain what force each one is. Use the
substitution table:

I think that... in first picture the type of force torsion

the
From my point of second photo shearing
view...
tension
third draw
As far as I am compression
concerned... ....
bending

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Activity 8. Identify in the following picture the type of strength (tension; compression;
bending; torsion; shearing).

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Activity 9. In pairs, look around you. Find an object. Test forces on it. Can you bend it? Can you
twist it? Can you divide it? Write the results in your notebook.

Activity 10. Look at the pictures. Which structure do you think is more stable? Which one is less
stable? Why? Write your answers in your notebook.

Structure ... is the most stable because...

Activity 11. We are going to watch a video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFqf6aKdOC0 )

about the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Then, answer the questions:

1. Which angle is believed the tower to 3. What kind of tower is it?

topple at?
a) Bed tower
a) 54.4º
b) Bell tower
b) 5.44º
c) Best tower
c) 6.64º
4. Where does Pisa’s name come from?
2. When did the construction of the
tower start? a) Marshy land

a) 1074 b) May land

b) 1173 c) Greek land

c) 1372
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 5. How many meters under its surface c) Inject soil
were believed to be enough for stability?
8. How many cubic meters of soil were
a) 3 meters removed in 1992?

b) 4 meters a) 18

c) 6 meters b) 28

6. How many degrees were tilted by c) 38

the time they completed the 7th floor?
9. What was used to anchor the base?
a) 1.6º
a) Steal blocks
b) 6º
b) Steel cables
c) 62º
c) Seal calls
7. In 1935, what solution did the Italian
Corps of Engineers come up with? 10. Why do you think the tower wasn’t
totally straightened?
a) Eject sand

b) Inject mortar

Activity 12. Read the text and then answer the questions below.

THE EIFFEL TOWER

The Eiffel Tower is one of the most famous structures in the world. It was named after Alexandre
Eiffel whose team of engineers designed it. It cost £260,000 to build in 1889 with most of the
money being provided by Eiffel himself and the French state. The Eiffel Tower rises to a height of
985 feet and for over forty years it was the highest structure in the world.
The top may be reached by using lifts and stairs with the first platform being 189 feet, the second
being 380 feet and the third at 906 feet above the ground. The structure is largely composed of
triangulated sections and this allowed the engineers to build the tower so high.

It was originally looked upon as a temporary structure, built for the 1889 World's Fair. The
World's Fair coincided with the centenary of the French Revolution.

For forty years it was the tallest man-made structure in the world.

The Eiffel Tower was the entrance arch to the World's Fair and it was one of a number of designs
entered as part of a competition. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel's company won the competition and so
the Tower became known as the Eiffel Tower. However, it was Morris Koechlin, an employee of
Eiffel that designed the thousand foot structure.

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Koechlin was a junior employee of the Eiffel Construction Business which specialised in the
designing and building of bridges and viaducts all over the world. One of his first jobs was to
design the framework for the Statue of Liberty.

His first design for the tower was rejected by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel as it was very plain and
lacked 'class' and it was only after adding more graceful, ornate features that Eiffel decided to
enter it for the competition. Eiffel also stated that he would finance the project to 80% of the cost of
construction.

The original idea was for the tower to be dismantled after a twenty year period. However, it was
so well built and engineered that it was decided to leave it in position. The various parts (of which
there were thousands) were so well engineered that not even one had to be returned to workshops
for alteration.

After the first year of opening so much money had been raised from people visiting the tower that
the cost of the construction was covered and Eiffel became rich.

Alexandre Gustave Eiffel conducted experiments on the tower such as using it as a giant
pendulum, a pressure gauge, an instrument for measuring air resistance and atmospheric
pressure. In 1898 it was discovered that the tower could also be used a magnificent radio tower.
Consequently the Eiffel Tower was saved.

1. What was the event that the Eiffel Tower was built for?

2. How many years was the Eiffel Tower the highest in the world?

3. What was the name of the engineer in charge of the project?

4. What was the background of the engineer who came up with the first design?

5. How was the original design improved before it was entered into the competition?

6. Was the Tower popular among the public? In which way was that beneficial?

7. How was the tower's future secured?