Week 5: Comparison

This past week, the Engineering librarian, Jay Bhatt came in to teach the class about how to use the library and research tools to find questions we would have about bridges. He went over the website and also how to contact him. We also spent a larger portion of the class experimenting with the Knex. Chelsea, Kelsey and I all spent time experimenting with connections and making separate bridges. We all came up with our own designs and discussed the pros and cons of each design.

Experimenting with Knex in class was extremely fun. This also shed some light on the differences between Knex and West Point Bridge Design. The most obvious difference is virtual vs. reality. While the West Point Bridge Design program more accurately depicts loads and specifies tension and compression, virtual programs are only estimates. They can help you make assumptions but one will not know how everything will react until it is designed with real materials on a small scale. I feel the program allows for more variety with design through materials because Knex only come in a standard thickness. The Knex allows for a tangible bridge design that can be tested in real life since computer programs contain errors and are not 100% accurate. Knex also allow for a person to use connections and “gussets’” on their bridge. This is something that is not taken into consideration in the program. I personally believe that the best way to test and create bridges is using something tangible and real, more specifically, a real small scale version after a version is tested through a computerized program.

-Carmen Mercado