7 sticks
7 nuts and bolts
Form 4 of the sticks into a square holding the corners together with the bolts. Form the other 3 sticks into a triangle.
Stand the square on end and push down on one side gently. What shape does it become?
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Now try this with the triangle. What happens?
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Try this again for another polygon. Which shape did you choose?
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What happened?
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When people build bridges and other structures that need to be strong, which shape should they use?
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Look at the pictures of some existing structures and see if you can find these shapes.