Tension and Compression: How They Work
Tension and compression were a big part of our project. They were the two forces that made for a strong design! We just had to figure out the right combination of them.
Tension: This is the force that is pulling in two different directions. It is sort of like stretching something. When tension is involved, the object gets longer and thinner. For example, think of a rubber band. When you pull it apart, it gets skinnier and taut.
Compression: This is the force that pushes inwards. Compression is like trying to squish something. When compression is involved, the object will get smaller and wider. Think of squeezing a rubber ball. When you squish it, it flattens out a bit.
To build a strong road sign, we needed to form equal but opposite forces of tension and compression throughout the design. Triangles were the perfect shape to achieve that!
Tension: This is the force that is pulling in two different directions. It is sort of like stretching something. When tension is involved, the object gets longer and thinner. For example, think of a rubber band. When you pull it apart, it gets skinnier and taut.
Compression: This is the force that pushes inwards. Compression is like trying to squish something. When compression is involved, the object will get smaller and wider. Think of squeezing a rubber ball. When you squish it, it flattens out a bit.
To build a strong road sign, we needed to form equal but opposite forces of tension and compression throughout the design. Triangles were the perfect shape to achieve that!