The Chicken Who Crossed the River

1. The Chicken Who Crossed the River The second Epic… Emma Manninen Science Design Challenge Due: October 18th 2010

2. Table of Contents Table of Contents…………………………………1 Introduction…………………………………………2 Beam Bridge………………………………………..3 Arch Bridge………………………………………….5 Suspension Bridge……………………………….7 Cable-Stayed Bridge…………………………….9 Conclusion……………………………………….....12 Authors Note……………………………………….13 1

3. Introduction This is an introduction to the world of bridges. Follow Daisy the Chicken in her search for the best bridge to cross. She will explore the options and then choose which 1100ft. Long bridge to use. Help her choose the safest and best bridge to cross. Begin the Journey of the sequel to “How the chicken crossed the road.” 2

4. Beam Bridge Daisy Is walking along the river. The first bridge she sees is a beam Bridge. She wants to learn about it and all the other ones before she decides how to cross. She decides to pull out her iPhone and do a Google search. “Arggg. Nothing useful” says Daisy, after her search. “I know, there never is with all these new fangled contraptions” says a rabbit to her left. Daisy jumps and turns around, surprised. She thinks she recognizes the bunny but can’t remember where from. Slowly she remembers. “Hey…it’s you…the Busy Bunny. How many children/grandchildren/great grand children do you have now?” Daisy asks. “Too many to count” said the rabbit “even I don’t know. That Fibonacci pattern, Mother Nature set us up with it, we grow really fast!” “Hey… I hear ya. I don’t even know if my chicks are alive!” replied Daisy. “Back to bridges. What were you complaining about dearie?” said The Busy Bunny. “Well, I want to cross this river and I don’t know which bridge is the safest/best.” said Daisy. “Why do ye want to cross the river?” replied the Busy Bunny. 3

5. “To get to the other side… duh!” exclaimed Daisy. She did not like being questioned about her motives because everyone had asked why she wanted to cross the road. “Why can’t a chicken cross the road without being questioned about it. Is it really that weird?” she thought to her self. “Sorry, no need to get huffy. In fact, I may just have the answer to your problem. A lot of animals come through here wondering the same thing. I happen to know a lot about this bridge now! I here it from those science freaks who are always nattering about what part of the bridge….” “Hey!” Daisy interrupted. I got a problem here. Are you willing to tell me these facts?” “Why sure! The beam bridge is the most inexpensive bridge and is usually very short. It spans at about a 250ft max. When weight is on it is bends slightly in the middle which stretches the lower side of the beam. So the longer it is, the more it will bend. This in some cases, is good because if it didn’t bend it would snap the minute there was any weight on it. It still can break especially if it is longer because then it bends more. This is one of the more simple bridges. The forces of tension and compression are always acting on this beam.” informed the rabbit. “Does that help?” continued the bunny. “Of course! Thank you so much for helping me but I best be going, I’ve got to learn about all the other bridges still. Though I don’t think this bridge is going to work. It is a bit too short in general for me to use over this river. Thanks!” said Daisy sadly. She did know that this was a good bridge in general but it did not fit her needs. She needed a bridge that could span longer distances. “Bye. See you soon!” called the rabbit as Daisy continued along the river. 4

6. Arch Bridge Daisy continued along at a faster pace because she knew she was running behind. She checked her iPhone. She was exactly 25 minutes behind her efficient schedule. She sighed. She knew then that she would try not to dawdle like she did at the beam bridge. She approached the arch bridge finally. This time she went to the library which happened to be right beside it and looked up information. 3 minutes later she groaned. There was no useful information in the books either. The librarian, Owl, came over and asked how she was doing. “I’m fine” Daisy replied. “I just can’t find any information on Arch Bridges.” “Oh I’m sorry about that. All of those books seem to be signed out. Though I know quite a bit about them. Would you like me to tell you?” said Mr. Owl “Yes please!” exclaimed Daisy, a bit too loudly. Two tables over somebody shushed her. “Sor-ry” Daisy retorted. 5

7. “Settle down” said Mr. Owl. “The Arch bridge has superb natural strength. It is also the oldest type of bridge. It is used to span crevasses and canyons. It is usually 200-800ft. Today It is typically made of pre-stressed concrete and steel . The weight of the bridge is not pushed straight down but through the arch. The arch bridge is made sometimes of pieces of material. This is easier to build but is not always a stable. The Arch bridge looks like an arch hence its name. Now I must ask you to leave… you are disturbing the quiet of the library!” “Good-Bye” said Daisy sarcastically. Fun Fact: This is the type of Bridge that is used on the Grand Canyon! 6

8. Suspension Bridge Daisy was not happy with her visit to the library but had spent less time and got the information she needed. She muttered as she went along and didn’t even notice where she was. She had reached the next bridge. “Oh!” she exclaimed quite surprised. The Beaver construction crew was doing renovations. The Boss came up and said, “We are busy fixing the bridge. It is not safe to cross because of the winds 2 nights ago.” Daisy recalled the weather that night and understood. She asked “Why though did the bridge break?” “Would you like me to tell you about suspension bridges?” inquired the Beaver hopefully. “I know quite a bit about them from being in my business.” Daisy looked at her watch. She knew she was already behind schedule and this would slow her down but curiosity took over. 7

9. “Would you?” she replied politely. “Of course” the beaver said happily, He then continued matter-of-factly. “The suspension bridge is the longest type of Bridge. It is also the most expensive. Its weight is carried by large cables strung from the large tower along the span of the bridge holding the bridge taut. They use steel for the wires. The wind is always a concern because the bridge is not anchored down as much as some on other bridges so it sways in the wind” “Oh, that’s wonderful! Yet dangerous. But I really must go. Thank you for all this delightful information.” Daisy replied gratefully. Her curiosity had been satisfied and she was on her way to check out the last bridge. This bridge she knew would have been a possibility if it had been working. She sure hoped that the last bridge would work or else she would have to wait until the suspension bridge was done. Fun Fact: The force that moves the bridge is the same force that sopranos use to shatter glass! 8

10. Cable-Stayed Bridge She continued on her way, pondering the suspension bridge. She once again got lost in thought. She walked leisurely while she was thinking and noticed this, arousing from her deep thinking. She then walked at a much faster pace. She soon arrived at the final bridge. She was happy to see that it was not under construction. She saw nobody anywhere. She tried to do a search again hopefully. She had no signal. It was all very eerie. Suddenly she heard a rustle in the leaves… she jumped. She knew she was late but she now knew how far even without her iPhone. It was night-time and she was scared. “Is-s any-o-one t-the-there?” she stuttered. “BOO” cried someone Daisy jumped and turned around. She saw no-one still. Now she was frightened. She scolded herself “you’re just hearing things” she said aloud. ‘No you aren’t” said the same voice. “it’s me…the tree!” 9

11. “What?” said Daisy no longer scared just somewhat annoyed at the practical joke. “I know you’re there… Show yourself!” “No really,” the voice replied, “it’s me, the tree! I tell people about his Bridge. It’s a pretty lame job so I understand if you just want to move along… most people do.” said the voice sadly. Daisy seeing the face on the tree finally replied “Oh no, that’s just what I wanted to know!” I’m so glad you’re here. See I want to know if this is the right bridge for me!” “Really?” said the tree surprised. “Wonderful!” he continued much more happily. “Cable-stayed bridges are similar to suspension bridges. They span 500-2800ft though. They are becoming the more popular type of bridge because they use less cable than suspension bridges, they are faster to build and because they are made of pieces of pre-cast concrete which makes it easier. Another reason they are becoming more popular is because they look futuristic. 10

12. Conclusion Daisy, sad to leave the nice, if weird, tree was happy to be on her way across the bridge. She was not on time but for once she did not care. She had a wonderful day and had learned a lot about bridges. It was a harder decision then where to cross the road but it was worth it. She had made it across the bridge safely. She skipped, if you can call it a skip, for it was not a skip it was the… Chicken Dance? Another day in the life of Daisy the Chicken was wonderful. She was very happy and decided if she ever crossed the river again, she might be a little daring and try the “dangerous” Suspension Bridge. But that is another story for another time. She wondered where her travels would take her next. Maybe… The chicken who crossed the skies! 11

13. Author’s Note Thanks for Listening! Written By Emma Manninen Just as Funny as “The Chicken who crossed the road”… I could not pull my eyes away once! -Mr. Bunny A wonderful Sequel - New Dork Times 11