WPBD vs. K'NEX - Durkin

K'NEX are a great hands on way to understand the structure of a bridge, in the same way that WPBD is a great way to learn about bridge structure.  Both use the basic ideas of joints and members in the construction of a bridge and both are great educational tools however past that there are very few similarities. A bridge built from K'NEX cannot bend in the same way that the bridges in WPBD can nor does a K'NEX bridge analyze the stress points in the way that WPBD does.  K'NEX also falls short in the types of members available as one cannot adjust the thickness of the members or the materials they are made from. One aspect of K'NEX that is not an option in WPBD is the ability to use different types of joint.  WPBD also does not allow for 3D changes in the way that K'NEX do. For example with K'NEX changes can be made to how the two sides of the bridge attach to each other, WPBD does not allow for this. Due to the lack of information K'NEX give about their weak points and how best to attach things a lot of this week will be spent testing different joints, attachment, and lengths of members in the hopes of building the most cost efficient bridge.