Teaching the ‘pressure and moments’ unit from the Key Stage 3 physics syllabus can be tricky. But by bringing the principle of force to life through captivating examples, previously unengaged students can become inspired.
Gateshead Millennium Bridge © CABE
England is home to excellent examples of bridges that can be used to demonstrate the principle of moments, the turning effect of forces and applications of levers. Activities to design, build and test bridges can take place in the classroom or the school grounds, and can provide many opportunities to link with other curriculum subjects such as maths and design technology.
Clifton suspension bridge © istockphoto.com Maurice van der Velden
Places to visit
- The Clifton Suspension Bridge visitor centre in Bristol can organise tours for school groups, giving a unique insight into how the bridge works. They also have related resources for both science and history, allowing cross-curricular learning.
- Build a bridge strong enough to stand on in the Launchpad at the Science Museum, London, without using glue or nails. Or with a limited number of blocks build a bridge over the table-top river, careful it doesn’t collapse in the middle!
- Tower Bridge is open for educational visits and has excellent science resource packs for teachers and pupils. The story of a London Bus jumping a one meter gap between the opening bascules could provide the basis for a lesson on motion and gravity.
- Newcastle’s Gateshead Millennium Bridge is at the cutting edge of bridge design. If you can’t take your students to the bridge, let the bridge come to you through the virtual tour on their website.
Useful websites
- The Making of the Modern World website by the Science Museum, London, explains the structures of different bridge types.
- Cambridge University’s website has teaching resources dedicated to bridge design.
