course phy 121 "My son is taking ""Technology Ed"" at the middle school. He had to build a tower out of one sheet of paper and 10 inches of tape. It had to be a min of 28 inches tall. I told him repeatedly that the triangle was the most stable and to build it out of triangles. He ultimately listened to mom's advice and build a three sided pyramid with x shaped supports (triangles). His tower reached 49 inches tall and he was very proud of the fact (told all his friends that they needed to start with a tripod). Today (Saturday) he is still tinkering with alternatives and trying to get higher. He decided to build a four sided pyramid, but it keeps crumpling. Besides the fact that it is too tall ( I think he also went to two sheets of paper) is there a reason associated with the four sides that might be contributing to the tower's demise? Why is a triangle more stable than a square or rectangle? Is the possible height related to the base? In other words, is there a point at which the height will become to big for the base and fall over (hey! I think I am asking a proportion question - which is the source of my frustration right now). For example, if the base is 16 inches square then is there way to determine a maximum height it can get to? Thomas wants to know which one could reach a greater height a triangular base, a square base, or a circular base? He won't listen to me :)