A spaghetti bridge is an architectural model of a bridge, made of uncooked spaghetti or other hard, dry, straight noodles. Bridges are constructed for both educational experiments and competitions. The aim is usually to construct a bridge with a specific quantity of materials over a specific span, that can sustain a load. In competitions, the bridge that can hold the greatest load for a short period of time wins the contest.[1][better source needed] There are many contests around the world, usually held by schools and colleges.
Okanagan College contest
A spaghetti bridge being tested in the Okanagan College contest, with a weight attached
The original Spaghetti Bridge competition has run at Okanagan College in British Columbia since 1983,[2] and is open to international entrants[3] who are full-time secondary or post-secondary students.
The winners of the 2009 competition were Norbert Pozsonyi and Aliz Totivan of the Szechenyi Istvan University of Győr in Hungary. They won $1,500 with a bridge that weighed 982 grams and held 443.58 kg. Second place went to Brendon Syryda and Tyler Pearson of Okanagan College with a bridge that weighed 982 grams and held 98.71 kg.[4]
Contests
Spaghetti bridge building contests around the world include:
^"Okanagan College in Kelowna hosts spaghetti bridge building competition - Kelowna Capital News". 24 February 2019.
^Squire, J. P. "Lumby trio uses noodle to finish 1-2-3 in contest". Daily Courier. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
^"Spaghetti Bridge Contest History: Heavyweight". Spaghetti Bridge Contest. Kelowna, British Columbia: Okanagan College. 2009. Archived from the original on December 13, 2009.
^"Home". Archived from the original on 2012-01-27. Retrieved 2013-09-16.
^"Bridge competition still not pasta use by date | Australian Maritime College". Amc.edu.au. 2010-10-05. Archived from the original on 2013-05-05. Retrieved 2013-09-16.
^"Students put design skills to the test | Australian Maritime College". Amc.edu.au. 2011-05-23. Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-09-16.
^"RECCS 2013 - World Championship in Spaghetti Bridge Building". Reccs.hu. Retrieved 2013-09-16.