Teacher Aldo stands in the lab.

Teacher Aldo is in his thirties, with short curly black hair and a shadow of a goatee. He wears glasses and a blue Homework Zone T-shirt.

He says HI I'M TEACHER
ALDO AND
WELCOME TO
THE HOMEWORK ZONE.
TODAY WE'RE GONNA
DO A NEAT
EXPERIMENT TO
LOOK AT STRUCTURE
AND STABILITY;
YOU'RE GONNA
NEED A FEW ITEMS
THAT YOU CAN FIND
IN YOUR HOME.
FIRST ITEM IS
A PIECE OF PAPER,
COUPLE OF BOOKS
AND MAYBE A
TOONIE
IF YOU CAN -
JUST ASK YOUR
PARENTS.

He places the books standing about a foot apart and puts a piece of paper on top.

He says WHAT YOU WANT
TO DO IS YOU WANT
TO PUT THE PIECE OF
PAPER ACROSS
THE TWO BOOKS AND
THEN ADD THE TOONIE.
WATCH WHAT HAPPENS -
THE PAPER FALLS
UNDER THE LOAD
FROM THE TOONIE.
HOW CAN YOU TAKE
THAT PIECE OF
PAPER NOW
AND MAKE IT MORE
STRUCTURALLY
STABLE?
WELL WHAT I'VE
DONE IS I'VE TAKEN
THE PAPER AND FOLDED
IT INTO LITTLE
FANS AND IF
YOU TAKE A LOOK
AT THE CROSS-SECTION
YOU SEE
A
ZIGZAG PATTERN,
ALMOST LIKE THE
GEOMETRICAL
SHAPE OF
A TRIANGLE.
WHEN YOU PUT THE
PIECE OF PAPER
ACROSS THE TWO
BOOKS AND ADD THE
SAME TOONIE WATCH
WHAT HAPPENS NOW -
PIECE OF PAPER
SUPPORTS THE LOAD.
WHY?
BECAUSE THE FORCE
THAT'S APPLIED
ONTO THE
STRUCTURE IS
DISTRIBUTED ALONG
THE TRIANGLE
SHAPES OF THE
PIECE OF PAPER.
TAKE A LOOK AT
BRIDGES OUTSIDE.
DO YOU NOTICE
THE TRUSSES,
THOSE
TRIANGULAR SHAPES?
THAT'S WHY CONSTRUCTION
WORKERS PUT THOSE
ON BRIDGES,
TO MAKE THE
BRIDGES MORE
STRUCTURALLY
SOUND.
I'M
TEACHER ALDO -
TRY THIS EXPERIMENT
AT HOME.