As part of the Using and applying module i worked with other people who also wanted to explore structures to address enhance our knowledge of structures. I had researched forces on the internet however found this rather unhelpful as it was merely a definition and couldn't see the forces in action on structural forms and didn't really understand what was happening.I decided that it would be better to make some mini models and experiment with weights which was much more successful. In doing so we began to understand and experiencing the effects of forces (compressive, tensile and sheer forces) and how this can be used to make a structure stronger by introducing struts and ties to prevent the models toppling and crumpling!
Below is a photograph of josie & Ben's model which was unsuccessful during testing with weights, using my knowledge and experience of working with structures i looked at how it could have improved which also helped with understanding how a structure can be made stronger and the effects of forces.
The Design and Technology student website was really useful resource of information, not just for this section but for others as well and will definitely refer to it in the future. What i particularly liked about this site was the animations and clear imagery of how the forces are affecting the structures which really helped me to understand what was going on. Even though it is a site designed for secondary students it is a good place to start for the basic outlines on a subject.