Weight-and-see: Mooseheart student's bridge holds 15.2 pounds

Now that Christmas break has ended, for physics students at Mooseheart that means one thing: It's time for the annual bridge-breaking competition.

That contest has taken place the last 25 years every January, the week after students return from break, for a quarter-century.

Friday's winner was senior Cayana Samuelson, whose bridge held 15.2 pounds.

Physics teacher Curt Schlinkman provides all the necessary materials to students, who work on the project over Christmas break. Students create their own designs using what they have learned in class about bridge construction techniques, including how different truss designs can be used to bear weight more effectively than others. Students incorporate these principles into their bridges using identical balsa wood kits.

The bridges are supported between two stools, and a block-and-tackle is attached to the center of the bridge, and a bucket is hung beneath the bridge. Into that bucket are placed weights of various sizes, until the bridge breaks. Last year, Jordan Holler's bridge held 29 pounds before breaking.

The record was set in 2007 when Adrianna Tezanos-Pinto's 2007 bridge held 71 pounds.