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Science Rocks!


Cup Tower

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Sent in by:
Molly of Troy, NY

The sky's the limit. Build a tower as high as you can using only cups.
Materials

Materials Needed


  • cups
  • the ability to build a tower with them

Instructions

Instructions


  1. Build it! How high did you get your cup tower to go?
  2. Why do you think it went as high as it did?
  3. Did you remember to empty the cups first?




Some of your Results

Junior Engineers Club, age 11 of NH wrote:
We noticed that a curved pyramid base seemed to hold a higher tower. When we stacked cups top to top and bottom to bottom we were able to get the tower higher. With 50 cups we built as high at 34. 5 inches.

Adeline, age 7 of Honey Brook, PA wrote:
I biulded it wrong and it all fell.

Anna, age 10 of Ingleside, ON wrote:
First I did three cups. then I did 6. then I did nine. then I did 12, and the whole thing toppled over!

Olivia, age 8 of Stoney Creek, ON wrote:
When it became tall it was shaking. I thought it was going to fall! When I put the last cup on it fell. I tried it again. Once again it fell. I did not bother any more.

Brianna, age 12 of Cincinnati, OH wrote:
it was grate. it was 6 feet high.

Kylie, age 9 of Fitchburg, MA wrote:
It fell over when put the 10th cup on. The cups went everywhere. It was cool.

Henry, age 6 of Washington, DC wrote:
WOW! I tried to make a really big tower! it didn't work though. it was so fun! WOW! I went to the store with mama and we got the cups and then I went home and made the tower while listening to soulja boy!

Gralby, age 8 of Oklahoma City, OK wrote:
WOW! It was so fun! I did it outside and WE had ball. I was fun I loved the cups, and they were so colorfuL! I used 30 cups, but my mean older brother nocked it all over! It was fun anyway!

Jonathan, age 13 of Los Angeles, CA wrote:
It colapse because it was windy on my house but we did more than half and it was fun...

Marie, age 7 of Boston, MA wrote:
it big and it goes all the way up to my sealling.

Carryl, age 5 of Evans, GA wrote:
you put 12 cups or 20 or 30 cupses thats how to do it

Lauren, age 13 of Staten Island, NY wrote:
I used a package of 400 cups. I did it outside. Eventually. I needed a ladder to reach the top. I kept adding more on the sides and to each level so I could make it taller. When I finally couldn't reach, I found that I had used almost the whole package!

Desteney, age 14 of NH wrote:
the cup tower wuz so big but my cusin screemed wihel I wuz puting the last cup it moved and it fell on the fllor

Malique, age 11 of Fall River, MA wrote:
I did it with twenty cups.

Mckenzie, age 9 of Westplains, MO wrote:
I glued it then it fell down.

Nichole, age 11 of Far Rockaway wrote:
what I did was trying to putb the cups up in a tower with out falling and it work you should try it bye. and thank you

Destini, age 6 of Grants Pass wrote:
it fell down

David of Placerville, CA wrote:
it tecnicly fell down

Malique, age 10 of Fall River, MA wrote:
I tried it with different cups.

Theresa, age 11 of Browning, MT wrote:
I had 100 cup's when I got 2 my last one they all fell down. Then I kept doing it over & over tell I got it on the 5th time I had it!

Tess, age 8 of Brooks, AB wrote:
I used at least ninty or more cups! I challenge you to make a castle using 100 cups and your hands. Good Luck!

Sara, age 8 of Paris wrote:
When I was puting a cup on my cup tower. Some of the tower fell. Also, it was 1f and 21in tall! ps. it was fun!

Kailea, age 9 of Table Grove, IL wrote:
I got up to 10 and than it callapsed.

Selina, age 12 of Waikoloa, HI wrote:
My little sister Haena built a plastic Dixie cup tower and was as tall as she was. And she is 4'6.

Tess, age 8 of Brooks, AB wrote:
I made the castle out of atleast 80 cups or more out of 100 cups if any of you out there try to make a cup tower try to find 100 cups and try to use all of the cups and you would want to use stirafoamcups!.

Annie, age 8 of Mateland, FL wrote:
I made a relly big one with cups I can also make good card towers!!

George, age 10 of Saugus, MA wrote:
When I started to build it, it came out as a straght line. But in only a few minutes it was huge, and I made it took like a triangle with cup wall conected to it.

Leah, age 10 of Clover, SC wrote:
I tried it and I made a tower out of 55 cups. My first time I did it I used 55 and it stayed over night!


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