Pontoon Bridge
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I recently used this in school as a teaching exercise and it worked really well. <P>
Split the class or group into several teams and give each set a pile of news paper, a roll of cello tape, a pair of scissors, 300mm of strong duct tape and a ruler. <P>
Each team has to design and construct a bridge across a one metre divide between two desks, that will hold a remote comtrolled tank (or car)driven across it. <P>
Each team completes their section of bridge and the challenge is only won if the tank crosses all of them without the bridge collapsing or the tank falling off. <P>
This is harder than it sounds and you should allow each team time to plan and let them feel the wieght and width of the tank. <P>
It works best if you give a tight time frame, thirty minutes including planning should be enough. <P>
It is worth having a go first to gauge how much paper to give,  I gave three copies of a broadsheet newspaper to each team.
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