1. Alex Mancino
Physics
Bridge Project
A. Identify the bridge
1. The bridge that I am going to model is the Rainbow Bridge, which is located in
Tokyo, Japan.
2. I chose the Rainbow Bridge because I liked its simple yet strong design. I think I
will be able to closely model it, and be successful with it.
3. The Rainbow Bridge
4. The Rainbow Bridge is a suspension bridge. Suspension bridges have a deck that is
held under suspension cables. The deck is then supported on pillars for added strength.
Any tension is held in the cables, and the pillars handle any compression.

2. B. Explain the Science
1.
a. Dead load- the total weight of a single structure. In this case the weight of the
bridge.
Live load- this is the weight that is added to the dead load. So this would be like
cars on a bridge, or the weights we are going to use to test our bridges.
Wind load- this is how much wind a structure can withstand without failing. So
how much wind can our bridges take without breaking.
b. Tension- this is the force that can stretch or elongate an object. In a suspension
bridges case the cables handle the tension.
Compression- this is when an object has weight on top of it and it is pressed
down and compressed. In a bridges case the pillars are what take all the compression
force because all the weight is on top of them.
Stress- this is the physical pressure that is exerted onto one object by another.
In the bridges case stress will occur when weight is added on top of it.

3. c. These six properties should be divided into two groups because the first three
describe how the bridge is designed and acts as a whole when it is affected by a force,
while the last three describe how different pieces of the bridge are effected by forces put
on them. i.e. added weight will compress the pillars, but put tension on the cables. The
things the first three properties have in common are that they are all loads, while the last
three are all forces.
2. There are four basic bridge designs. The first type is a simple beam bridge where you
have two supports that simply hold up a beam. This could just be a plank of wood over a
stream. Next there is the arch bridge, which is just an arched design form on starting
point to another. These are very strong but require a lot of material. These bridges are
good in most real world situations, such as crossing two cliffs that are close to each other.
Next there is the classic suspension bridge that uses cable and pillars for extra strength.
These are often used in the real world to cross rivers in densely populated areas like
cities. They can be made very wide and can hold a lot of weight. Lastly there is the
cantilever bridge. This bridge consists of two beams that support another beam across the
middle.