Everyday material
Drinking straw
Look beyond drinking: a hollow tube suggests sleeves, spacers, air passages, and small structures.
Get to know it
A clean straw has a hole, a wall, and a length you can change. In a lightweight model it may act as an axle sleeve if the axle fits loosely enough. A thin straw can buckle under a load, and a bent or crushed straw behaves differently. Compare its behavior with a rolled paper tube rather than assuming they are equivalent.
What happens if…
- What changes when the straw is shorter?
- What does an axle need in order to turn freely?