Strong Shapes Investigation

​All you need for today’s easy science experiment is tape, paper and some books.
We’re going to test the strength of paper folded into different shaped columns by piling books on top.
Did you know some shapes are stronger than others?
INSTRUCTIONS
You will need 3 pieces of normal thickness paper
Sellotape or masking tape
A stack of books
SQUARE COLUMN  Fold one piece of paper in half and then fold each end in half again towards the centre fold, so the paper is split into four even segments. Fold the paper into a square and secure with tape.
TRIANGULAR COLUMN  Fold the second piece of paper into thirds to create a triangular column
CIRCULAR COLUMN  Tape the edges together to form a circular column.
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You can have a bit of overlap when creating these but try and keep it the same for all columns.
Stand each column up and carefully place books on top of each one. Use the same books in the same order until the column collapses.
Record how many books each column holds.
Remember to use the same books in the same order and the same size paper for each column.
You can find the investigation online by following this link ​ simple STEM challenge