Bridge Contest Day!

     March 16 was the day all students were waiting for; The Brookhaven National Lab Bridge Building Contest. Students had previously worked very hard on the construction and design of their bridges all in preparation for this day. Though some people may think this contest is very easy, it is not. There are many requirements and specifications needed to get into the contest. The website below lists all of the specifications:

http://www.bnl.gov/education/static/bridge/linkableFiles/pdf/2013-BNL-MODEL-BRIDGE-SPECIFICATIONSrev112112.pdf 

     Overall, Commack did very well in the contest. Unfortunately, the strongest Commack bridge, built by Evan Kirshen, was disqualified. Weighing 15. 42 grams, Evan's bridge held a load of 79.3, creating an efficiency of 2332.677, which was greater than the winning efficiency (1954.172363). The reason for Evan's disqualification was due to the fact that there needed to be a 3/8 inch hole through the bridge at each of the three loading positions. The hole is not used at the BNL contest nor at the school, however it is used by some locations making it a requirement. It was not a very clear requirement in the specifications, therefore we will be sure to never forget that key point. Additionally, even if Evan had added the space, the weight of his bridge might have slightly increased but his bridge would be just as strong making his the strongest if not one of the strongest. Below is a picture of Evan's successful bridge:

    Fortunately, the other Commack students did very well in addition to Evan's success. Patchogue Medford still took the top spots, however Evan's bridge did surprise everyone. We will be back next year to give all the participants a run for their money. Thanks for reading! 

~Ashley