On to Project #2!

      So, for our second project we began with a single 4'x4' piece of corrugated cardboard which then had to be transformed into a functioning seat, made to support human weight, but without cutting out or removing any of the material, and using not a single adhesive. Sounds easy, right? No. No it doesn't.
      I began by making a multitude of models, the majority of which failed. Turns out I had my head in the wrong place. I think I can safely say a career in engineering is not in my foreseeable future.
      For some reason, when one of my paper models actually worked, I became so excited that I decided to go straight on to the cardboard. Looking back, this was not as wise of a decision as my past self, excited by the small taste of success, thought at the time. I failed to consider how differently paper and cardboard perform as materials. While the paper held the shape I folded it into, the cardboard had to be scored and was much more difficult to mold and conform to my will.
      So, here is a picture of what I mistakenly thought at the time to be a brilliant idea:

      I figured if the paper model could support a full cup of coffee and a semi-full bottle of Pibb, surely my body weight on cardboard would be proportional to a full container of liquid on paper! Seems not though...

       The cardboard had no problem holding up all my art supplies. Heck, I even threw my backpack, laptop, and a few more things on there after I took this picture just to test it.

   
      The cardboard then became very angry when I attempted to seat myself upon it, and blatantly refused to hold me up, falling to the ground with a stubborn "thud". I didn't take a picture of that due largely to the shame.
      But seeing as how the size parameter was 4'x4', and the shop sells their cardboard in 4'x8's, I had one more chance to make an attempt at achieving success. So, I began again at the paper model stage. THIS time, however, I got thick cardstock paper to attempt to account for the thickness of cardboard.
      Here is what I came up with:

      However, this time around I failed just as epicly as the first, if not more. I attempted to weave the back of the seat for extra support. Perhaps I ought to have practiced weaving cardboard a bit more first, because it was much more difficult than I had anticipated it would be. In short, it broke. And because a few strips broke clean off of the cardboard, even if the chair HAD supported my weight (which it didn't, by the way, to add insult to injury) it still would not have been a success since one of the requirements was that it be able to fold back out into a flat 4'x4'.
      In short, I was unsuccessful in all of my attempts.