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So the spaghetti bridges have all been broken, the mince pies are beckoning and exam fear still hasn’t raised its ugly head. Enjoy the festive season!

Group
Bridge Weight (kg)
Strength (kg)
SW Ratio
Prediction (kg)
PS Ratio

1
0.861
4.81
5.59
7.0
1.46

2
0.820
9.01
10.99
8.0
0.89

3
0.859
4.24
4.94
15.0
3.54

4
0.641
6.48
10.11
10.0
1.54

5*
0.327
0.97
2.97
3.0
3.09

6
0.857
1.9
2.22
2.3
1.21

7*
0.971
8.14
8.38
10.0
1.23

8*
0.523
1.07
2.05
1.5
1.40

9*
0.400
1.5
3.75
2.0
1.33

10
0.787
6.88
8.74
10.0
1.45

11
0.885
7.86
8.88
3.5
0.45

* These groups were disqualified due to non-conformance with the specifications of the problem.
First, second, and third were awarded to Groups 2, 4 and [...]

The handup date for the 4th session in the Computer Modelling of Structures laboratory for DT024/4 students has been extended. Submissions are now due before 5pm on Friday 12 December. Submit as:

Hardcopy to the departmental secretary;
Softcopy emailed to Lacour Ayompe as before.

Both submissions must be made on or before the specified time and date.

Let’s do this in FAQ fashion. But first be aware that some generalizations and personal opinions follow…
What is the Semester 1 Syndrome?
Simply put, it is the tendency for students, fresh into 3rd year, to put an inadequate amount of work in, and who consequently don’t perform as well as they wish.
Have you any evidence [...]

In the Presentations section of the site I’ve mentioned Edward Tufte and the art of presenting complex information. He even suggests that PowerPoint was complicit in the Challenger disaster due to its inability to convey complex information. Read an extract from his essay The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint: Pitching Out Corrupts Within here.
Anyway, the following [...]