Students will investigate a naturally occurring enigma, an unsolved mystery. Each student will have an opportunity to explore in depth an enigma and hypothesize possible solutions. In their explorations, students will use scientific research processes.

In this unit students will research various types of bridges, explore structural considerations, and design a bridge incorporating specific mathematical concepts. Using their designs, students will construct their bridge, present their research findings on the bridge type and model bridge to peers, hypothesize the architectural soundness of their bridge design prior to conducting a weight test using appropriate mediums, and have the opportunity to redesign and retest. Finally, students will give a presentation that includes information about their bridge design, construction and weight test, their weight test data, and approaches for the redesign and retest.