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Paper Cup Walk next ZOOMsci | ZOOMsci index | list of activities | Your Results Sent in by: Ms. C.'s 2nd grade class, MA Can you stand on paper cups without crushing them? Materials needed:
Instructions: 1. Can you make a platform with cups and a piece of cardboard that will support your weight? 2. Check with a grown-up before you start this. 3. Place one cardboard square on the floor, and put a bunch of cups face down on top of it. 4. When you think you have enough cups to support your weight, put the other cardboard square on top. With a friend to spot you, carefully stand on the platform. 5. Did it hold you? If it did, try it using fewer cups. See how many cups you need to support you. Here's why it works. If you try to stand on just one cup, it will smoosh. That's because all of your weight is pushing, or compressing, the cup. But if you arrange the cups, and put a piece of cardboard on top, then the cardboard spreads out your weight. So, each cup supports less weight. That means that there isn't too much weight on any one cup. Try it out and be sure to send us your results. You can also send us your pictures or video of this ZOOMsci: ZOOMsci ZOOM Box 350 Boston, MA 02134 Some of your results: Mizzelei, age 16 of Philippines wrote: Actually, when I made this experiment, I was really excited about it, however the experiment did not work out pretty well. I was rather dissapointed about it but then I'll try my best to get this experiment. Perhaps, one problem that I had encountered was the type of cups that I have used. It was a plastic cup and it was not that sturdy. And now I'm going to try it once again using microwave cups. The first experiment I made did not turn out to be great but I am really optimistic about it this time... Wish me luck! Any tips? Cause I plan to show it to my Physics class coz' it involves some principles about physics... Sophia, age 9 of Cairo, Egypt wrote: It held my weight I only used 4 and it held 59 pounds it was also really fun. My cousin didnt see the cup walk and she tripped over it it was funny. Lucy, age 12 of Columbus, MS wrote: I found that taller paper cups would hold the most weight and the shorter cups would hold the least weight. Lizzie, age 7 of Chesapeake, VA wrote: I love your show! I used one idea from one of the kids. The one I tried was to put cups down on the floor, and then put a piece of cardboard on top. I tried to stand on the cardboard. At first I used lots of cups, then I took them away. I got down to 8 cups. Then I got a great idea. I put three cups in a stact. I got one stack of three to hold my wieght. I weigh 53 pounds. Allison, age 11 of Gainesville, GA wrote: I did the paper cup walk still with paper but an 18 egg carten and then cut them away one by one and I got down to one. Darius & Sheranda of Fairmont, NC wrote: The recults were great we cuold stand on 7 cups each without breaking them. Plus we won 2nd prize at our school fair. Anna, age 7 of Baltimore, MD wrote: I put cardboard under the cups and on top of them. When I used Styrofoam cups, most of the cups crushed -- even under my brother's weight of 40 pounds. When I used "dixie" cups, the cups stood firm. Danielle & Sarah of IN wrote: We had 10 cups. It held me and I weigh 60 lbs. It fell with Sarah and she weighs 135 lbs. Then we put 13 cups. It Held me, Sarah and my dad and he weighs 170 the cups started to crush when he stood on the board. Then we had 13 cups again. It held me, Sarah and dad. But when Sarah stood 1 cup crushed when Dad stood on the boad 4 cups crushed. Stacey, age 14 of NY wrote: It worked with 4 paper cups. It was like if I had bricks under me supportin my weight. It was fun I got an A+ for my science fair project.
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