SKYSCRAPER FOUNDATION EXPERIMENT
Think about the tallest building you have ever seen... Have you ever wondered why it doesn’t tip over in a big storm or earthquake? It’s because its foundation anchors it deep in the ground.
Try this experiment.
You will need:
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Glass
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Uncooked oatmeal or rice
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Cardboard
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Pen or pencil
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Optional: hairdryer
Steps:
1. Fill a glass three-quarters full with uncooked oatmeal or rice. That will be your ground.
2. Cut a piece of cardboard about 6 inches tall and ½ inch wide. That will be your skyscraper.
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3. Put your skyscraper a little way into the ground, so it just stands up. Then blow on it. Does it fall over? Keep pushing the skyscraper a little deeper until it no longer bends over when you blow on it.
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4. Mark the skyscraper with a pen or pencil where it meets the ground, and then pull it out. You will be able to see how deep the foundation needs to be, in that kind of loose ground, to keep the building upright in a windstorm! (You can increase the wind force by using a hairdryer to blow against your skyscraper. Does it need to be deeper in the foundation to stay up?)
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Fun Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x41B_VHEUyY Foundation laid in Los Angeles for the tallest skyscraper in the West (2:48)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txAvkcsfxhw Foundation works for the Lakhta Tower in St. Petersburg, Russia (2:52)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxpM7ZixUmI One of the deepest excavations in Vancouver, Canada history (8:19)
