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Virtual Bridge Builder: Test Before You Build

Design, test, and iterate in simulation before touching a single matchstick—just like real engineers prototype before construction

Part of Build A Bridge That Holds 100 Coins

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Last updated Oct 29, 2025. Clone to remix or explore the blocks below.

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content

Why Simulate Before Building?

Educational content slides

Why Simulate Before Building?

Real bridges: One chance to get it right.

One construction attempt
Huge costs (millions to billions of dollars)
Lives at stake if it fails
No undo button

Simulation: Infinite iterations, zero risk.

Instant feedback on design
Test to failure without consequences
Try crazy ideas safely
Learn from failures without danger

Engineers test virtually before breaking ground.

You'll do the same before gluing your first matchstick.

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quiz

Quiz: 3 Questions

Test your understanding with this quiz.

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Your virtual bridge holds 200 coins with 60 matchsticks. You build it physically and it fails at 150 coins. What most likely happened?

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feedback

Document Your Virtual Design Process

Complete this exercise and get AI-powered feedback.

Document Your Virtual Design Process

Real engineers document everything—decisions, iterations, and learnings. This is your engineering notebook.

Be specific: What did you try? What worked? What failed? What surprised you?

Design a bridge in the simulator and document your process: What pattern did you use (beam, truss, arch)? Why did you choose it? What was your efficiency score? How did you optimize it through iteration? *

Your virtual bridge failed at a specific point. Analyze WHY that location failed and propose 3 different ways to strengthen it. Which solution is most material-efficient? *

Describe your optimization strategy: How did you identify which members to remove or strengthen? What did the simulation teach you about load distribution?