Which paper column shape holds the most books?
- 🚧 Stand back when it goes
My hypothesis
If I change the shape of the paper column, then how many books it holds before it crumples will ______, because ______.
You fill in the blanks. Think about how each shape shares out the push of the books around the paper. A guess is a good because: the test finds out.
Change, measure, keep the same
CHANGE
the shape of the paper column: Round, Square, Triangle
MEASURE
how many books it holds before it crumples, in books
KEEP THE SAME
- sheets of the same paper
- the same height for every column
- the same piece of cardboard on top
- adding books one at a time, in the middle
Scientists call the thing you change the independent variable and the thing you measure the dependent variable. The things you keep the same are the controls: if one of them changed too, you wouldn't know which change made the difference. Try each of the 3 levels 3 times.
What you need
- Paper: about 10 sheets, all the same
- Some books: about 20, all about the same weight
- Flat cardboard: a flat piece big enough to cover the top
- 🩹 Tape
- 📏 A ruler
Steps
- Fold one sheet in 3 equal parts along its long edge, and tape the ends together: a triangle column.
- Fold a second sheet in 4 equal parts the same way, and tape the ends: a square column.
- Roll a third sheet into a tube the same way, and tape the join: a round column.
- Stand the round column on a table and lay the flat cardboard on top.
- Add books one at a time, in the middle. Stand back when the column goes.
- Count the books it held before it crumpled, and write the number in your table.
- Make a new round column from a fresh sheet and test it two more times.
- Test three square columns and three triangle columns the same way.
- Find the mean for each shape and draw a bar graph.
Every step is one you can do yourself, with a grown-up nearby. Write each number down straight away, in the table below, so nothing is lost.
Your results table
Name ______________________ Fair day ____________
Question: Which paper column shape holds the most books?
I changed: Column shape I measured: how many books it holds before it crumples (books)
| Column shape | Try 1 (books) | Try 2 (books) | Try 3 (books) | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | ||||
| Square | ||||
| Triangle |
MY GRAPH (a bar graph: column shape along the bottom, books up the side)
What I noticed: ______________________________________________
From 4th grade, add the tries for each level and divide by how many there were: that's the mean, and it goes in the last column. Then draw a bar graph, one bar for each thing you tried.
Name ______________________ Fair day ____________
Question: Which paper column shape holds the most books?
If I change the shape of the paper column, then how many books it holds before it crumples will ________________, because _____________________________________________
| I CHANGE | I MEASURE | I KEEP THE SAME |
|---|---|---|
| Column shape: Round, Square, Triangle | how many books it holds before it crumples (books) |
|
What I think will happen, in my own words:
Name ______________________ Fair day ____________
Question: Which paper column shape holds the most books?
| Date | What I did | What I saw | What I think |
|---|---|---|---|
Name ______________________ Fair day ____________
Question: Which paper column shape holds the most books?
| Date | What I did | What I saw | What I think |
|---|---|---|---|
Name ______________________ Fair day ____________
Question: Which paper column shape holds the most books?
| Date | What I did | What I saw | What I think |
|---|---|---|---|
Name ______________________ Fair day ____________
Question: Which paper column shape holds the most books?
My hypothesis was ☐ right ☐ partly right ☐ not right.
I know because my numbers show:
What surprised me, or what might have gone wrong (7th and up):
Next time I would test:
Idea: Change a second thing: cut your sheets to 10, 15 and 20 cm tall, test the best shape at each height, and graph books held against height.
Why it works
A paper column gives way by buckling: its walls bend sideways and fold. A flat side bends easily, while a curved side is stiffer, so a round column often holds the most. The seam and the folds matter too, which is why you test each shape three times.
Going further (7th and up): Change a second thing: cut your sheets to 10, 15 and 20 cm tall, test the best shape at each height, and graph books held against height.
Board layout
- ❓ Question (10 × 8 in): Which paper column shape holds the most books?
- 💭 Hypothesis (10 × 9 in): If I change the shape of the paper column, then how many books it holds before it crumples will ______, because ______.
- 🧺 Materials (10 × 12 in): 3 things: see your list.
- 🪜 Steps (22 × 9 in): 9 steps, three tries at each level.
- 📊 Results (22 × 16 in): Your table (Column shape down the side, tries across) and your bar graph.
- ✅ Conclusion (10 × 14 in): My hypothesis was right / partly right / not right. I know because…
Materials to list: Paper; Some books; Flat cardboard.
Bring photos or drawings of your test. Nothing wet, hot, powered or alive on the table.
This project at your grade
| 1st–3rd grade | Tries: three at each level (one is fine at a first fair). The table: levels and tries, numbers or pictures. The graph: a picture, or a simple bar graph. The conclusion: what happened, in their words. |
|---|---|
| 4th–6th grade | Tries: three at each level. The table: units in the header and a mean column. The graph: a bar graph, or a line for a number that grows. The conclusion: right, partly or not, and the numbers that show it. |
| 7th grade and up | Tries: three or more at each level. The table: a mean for every level of both tests. The graph: a graph with two lines or two sets of bars. The conclusion: the numbers, what might have gone wrong, and a next question. Second variable: cut your sheets to 10, 15 and 20 cm tall, test the best shape at each height, and graph books held against height. |
From 4th grade up, the table gets a mean column. See every project for 3rd grade, or print a blank results table.
What a judge will ask
- What did you change, and what did you measure? I changed the shape of the paper column and measured how many books it holds before it crumples, in books.
- What did you keep the same, and why does that matter? I kept sheets of the same paper and the same height for every column the same, so the only difference was the shape of the paper column.
- How many times did you test it? 3 times at each of my 3 levels.
- If you did it again, what would you change or test next? I'd cut your sheets to 10, 15 and 20 cm tall, test the best shape at each height, and graph books held against height.
Make it yours
Keep this project on this device and Peabody counts down to your fair day, with a plan for each day. Nothing is sent anywhere.
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