While getting caught up on my reading in Feedly this morning I came across a.
new comic from The Oatmeal. The comic addresses the concern, “how high can a LEGO tower get?” (Its a copyright-protected work so youll have to view it on The Oatmeal website). The comic is based upon a 2012 BBC short article entitled.
How Tall Can a LEGO Tower Get? The comic and the short article triggered me to rely on YouTube for videos about constructing giant LEGO towers. YouTube did not dissatisfy me in my look for videos that discuss the math and physics highlighted in the BBCs article and The Oatmeals comic..

Last fall a YouTube channel entitled Lifes Biggest Questions dealt with the concern of “how tall can a LEGO tower get?” The video describes the mathematics that was used by scientists at The Open University to figure how high a LEGO tower would get before the blocks collapsed under their own weight. Of course, the mathematical response presumes that the tower wouldnt topple over prior to reaching its optimal height. You then have to think about the total stability of the structure rather of simply weight-bearing capability of the structure. Watch the video to read more, its quite satisfying..

If you see it in other places, it has actually been used without authorization. Websites that steal my (Richard Byrnes) work include CloudComputin and WayBetterSite.

Applications for Education.
Prior to showing students the video or the post mentioned above, I d have them make guesses as to the response then compose out lists of the variables that they can think of that would affect how tall the tower could get. After they view the video I d have a little classroom contest to see who can develop the highest tower with the LEGOs offered in my class.

The comic and the post prompted me to turn to YouTube for videos about constructing huge LEGO towers. The video discusses the math that was used by researchers at The Open University to figure how tall a LEGO tower would get prior to the blocks collapsed under their own weight. Before showing trainees the video or the post mentioned above, I d have them make guesses as to the answer then compose out lists of the variables that they can think of that would affect how high the tower might get. After they view the video I d have a little classroom contest to see who can build the highest tower with the LEGOs offered in my class.