Course Overview
Bridging the Future is an engaging 6-week course where you explore how bridges are designed and built to support people and vehicles safely. You will learn about different types of bridges, including beam, arch, suspension, truss, and extradosed bridges, and how they are used in real life. You will investigate forces such as gravity, tension, and compression, and how engineers design bridges to manage these forces. You will discover how extradosed bridges use short pylons and external cables to help distribute loads efficiently, as seen in real-world projects like the Swan River Bridge in Fremantle. You will examine real bridges and explore how their designs can be improved. You will think about purpose and sustainability by comparing materials such as timber, steel, and plastic. Working in teams, you will design, build, and test your own bridge models for strength and safety. This course follows the Australian Curriculum and challenges you to think like an engineer, solving real-world problems.
