I did use Legos; however, I had to

borrow them from another teacher and I

only had three different sizes to choose
from. I have adjusted the cost to the
following:
Large Yellow 13 x 4 - $3,000

Medium Red 4 x 2 - $500

Large White 6 x 4 - $750

To create my first bridge

I really just started
exploring the few pieces
I had. I had a visual in
my mind of a bridge I
see on the lake I visit
every summer.
My goal on this bridge
was to create a structure
that would support a
heavy textbook while
meeting the length and
height requirements.

The length of my first bridge

was slightly over 10 inches.

The height of my bridge

was a little over 6 inches.

Time used: 25 minutes

Cost analysis

8 Large Yellow - 8 x $3,000 = $24,000

63 Medium Red 63 x $500 = $31,500
3 Large White 3 x $750 = $2,250
GRAND TOTAL = $57,750

Needless to say, my bridge is really

expensive! Im tried my best with the
cost adjustments, but it still is wicked
costly.

While doing research, I realized I had

created a beam bridge. This bridge also
can be called a girder bridge. A beam
bridge one of the most simple and
inexpensive bridges to make. (Im
assuming also common since it was the
image that first came to mind.)
While the arch bridge, suspension bridge,
and cable-stayed bridge looked like a good
model, for my allotted time this was the
simplest to construct.

I chose to stick with the beam bridge design.

Beam bridges are simple because the
horizontal piece across the top pushes all of
the weight onto the piers.
I did use the help of Lego Digital Designer to
allow me to use the least expensive pieces that
I did not have in person.
I found the measurements of a single Lego and
discovered in order to meet the height and
length requirements I needed to have 16 Legos
tall, and a space of 16 Legos distance.

Since I did not have these Legos I took a screen

shot of my design.

Time Used: 40 minutes

Cost analysis
Single White- 80 x $150 = $12,000
Single Red- 3 x $250 - $750
Single Blue- 6 x $350 = $2,100
Single Green 4 x $550 = $2,200
GRAND TOTAL = $17,050
Using the smaller Legos definitely helped

reduce the cost for this project significantly.

It was the most cost efficient during Phase

2 due to the help of the Lego Digital
Designer. I saved a total of $40,700!
My resources used were:

Legos
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/build-

bridge-p3.html (This site helped confirm my

design was the simplest for me to build)
Lego Digital Designer (by far the most helpful)

Having the actual Legos to use and do

some trail and errors was beneficial.
However, I thought the Lego Digital
Designer was a time saver and more
cost efficient. So, I would say for todays
learners, as long as they have played
with Legos before Phase 2 would be best
for them.

For the project you must have time management!

If you cannot keep to a time limit, you will not get
the assignment complete.
Another skill needed would be problem solving. If
your bridge is too weak, you need to be able to
figure out the root of the problem and address the
issue.
These skills are very relevant in the workforce
today. Without time management and the ability
to problem solve, the chance of you having or
keep a job are slim.
Using the Lego Digital Designer is a perfect
example of a 21st Century tool to help with
problem-solving skills.