Measuring the Force in Beams of Truss Bridges

The purpose of this experiment was to predict the forces present in beams of bridges under load and then compare those predictions to experimental results. The equipment used was a PASCO model bridge building kit and four force sensors. Because the bridge was in equilibrium, I was able to calculate the forces on some of the beams of a Howe Truss style bridge. The calculated values and experimental values did not match up and the answer to the problem was not solved until it was too late. I discovered that the system was extremely sensitive to the way the beams were attached, and further research requires careful attention to this property of the system.