How to Build a Spaghetti Tower

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Making a spaghetti tower is a great team-building exercise that is popular among schoolchildren, coworkers, friends, and family. You can also build a spaghetti tower alone for an extra challenge! Spaghetti towers are made using dry spaghetti strands and marshmallows. Make squares with the spaghetti and marshmallows first, before forming these into pyramids that will help strengthen the base. Use these existing pyramids to form new ones, and watch as your tower grows higher! To make building spaghetti towers into a fun, competitive game, try setting a time limit , seeing who can build the tallest tower, or limiting the supplies.

Part 1
Part 1 of 3:

Crafting the Squares

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Build a Spaghetti Tower
    Line up the 2 spaghetti strands. Push them evenly into the top round side of the marshmallow.
    • Use full-size marshmallows rather than the miniature kind.
    • Using 2 strands of spaghetti instead of just 1 will strengthen your tower and help it to eventually stand upright.
    • Push the spaghetti far enough into the marshmallows so that it feels stable, but not far enough to come through the opposite side. Around halfway will do.
    • Make sure to center the spaghetti. If you put too much weight on one side, the marshmallow will probably tip over.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Build a Spaghetti Tower
    Line up 2 more spaghetti strands. Push them into another side of the same marshmallow to form a corner. [1]
    • It might be tricky to push these next spaghetti strands into the same marshmallow. Do it carefully, and try to add the strands just next to where the first strands were pushed in.
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  3. Watermark wikiHow to Build a Spaghetti Tower
    Push a marshmallow firmly onto each end. Be careful when adding marshmallows to spaghetti that has already been connected, as it can easily break with too much pressure. [2]
    • Replace any broken strands of spaghetti with new strands.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Build a Spaghetti Tower
    Create 2 more right angles. Make sure that the strands are lined up well, and are as close to 90° as possible. This will ensure that your tower is sturdy. [3]
    • Your square so far will look like a rigid “U” shape.
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Build a Spaghetti Tower
    Push the remaining strands of spaghetti into 1 last marshmallow. Do this as carefully as possible to avoid breaking the rest of the square. [4]
    • You should now have a completed square shape made out of 4 marshmallows and 8 strands of spaghetti.
  6. Watermark wikiHow to Build a Spaghetti Tower
    The greater the number of squares that you build, the higher that your tower will be. Your initial squares will become the base for your tower. [5]
    • Start with 9 squares if you are not sure how many to begin with. This will give you good practice in creating a smaller tower.
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Part 2
Part 2 of 3:

Making the Pyramids

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Build a Spaghetti Tower
    Each of the 4 marshmallows in each square needs 2 strands of spaghetti inserted into the top. Align these so that they point straight. [6]
    • Each square will end up with 8 more spaghetti strands pointing upwards.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Build a Spaghetti Tower
    Grasp the 8 strands of spaghetti that are pointing upwards. Hold them together tightly as you firmly push a marshmallow onto the end. [7]
    • The marshmallow will connect the strands and hold them together in a point type shape.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Build a Spaghetti Tower
    Add the spaghetti strands to the tops of the marshmallows. Join these together into a point using a final marshmallow. [8]
    • If you began with 9 squares, you will end up with 9 pyramids in total.
  4. Align the pyramids that you just made so that they look like a square or rectangle from above. If you have 9 pyramids, align these to be 3 pyramids across by 3 wide. [9]
    • Make sure that the base pyramids are close together to ensure that your tower is stable.
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Build a Spaghetti Tower
    Push spaghetti strands horizontally to make more square shapes on the top of the base. Make sure that these are connected firmly, as they will become the base for the next layer. [10]
    • Be very careful to avoid leaning or placing pressure on the base pyramids.
  6. Watermark wikiHow to Build a Spaghetti Tower
    Insert spaghetti strands coming from the top of each of the marshmallows. Connect the strands from each square using a central marshmallow. [11]
    • You will notice your tower beginning to narrow in as it gets taller.
  7. Keep adding spaghetti strands horizontally and vertically to make square bases and points. Work as carefully as possible as you make your way up the tower to avoid breaking any pieces. [12]
    • The bigger your tower, the longer it will take to reach the top.
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Part 3
Part 3 of 3:

Designing a Competition

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Build a Spaghetti Tower
    Have all of the supplies ready before you begin. Set the timer, and compare towers at the end! [13]
    • Around 20 minutes is a good place to start for a competitive spaghetti tower match.
    • You don’t have to compete with others. Try timing yourself, and see if you can build a better tower each time.
    • You can judge the towers based on height or stability.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Build a Spaghetti Tower
    Get all of the supplies, and see which group can build the tallest tower before it collapses. You may need to start building the tower on the ground, and stand on a secure chair as it grows! [14]
    • Have a measuring tape ready so that you can measure the end results.
  3. Try using just 20 strands of spaghetti and 1 marshmallow for each tower. You will need to break the marshmallow into smaller pieces for this type of competition. [15]
    • With limited supplies, the design of the towers will need to vary. Get creative, and see how tall and stable you can make a tower with only 1 marshmallow.
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    What is a good substitute for marshmallows?
    Joseph Quinones
    Physics Teacher
    Joseph Quinones is a Physics Teacher working at South Bronx Community Charter High School. Joseph specializes in astronomy and astrophysics and is interested in science education and science outreach, currently practicing ways to make physics accessible to more students with the goal of bringing more students of color into the STEM fields. He has experience working on Astrophysics research projects at the Museum of Natural History (AMNH). Joseph recieved his Bachelor's degree in Physics from Lehman College and his Masters in Physics Education from City College of New York (CCNY). He is also a member of a network called New York City Men Teach.
    Joseph Quinones
    Physics Teacher
    Expert Answer
    Putty is actually better to use for spaghetti towers than marshmallows, since marshmallows are a bit squishy.
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    Not Helpful 5 Helpful 8
  • Question
    What if the spaghetti snaps in half each time I try to stand it up?
    T. Chinsen
    Top Answerer
    Spaghetti is made from wheat flour. Depending on the source of the raw material, the spaghetti brand you use may not be as strong as a brand that is labeled as "al dente" when cooked. Al dente refers to its firmness after cooking. Generic pasta may not have the density to hold up to use for the article project.
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  • Question
    Could I use anything else besides spaghetti?
    Elizabeth Bolster
    Community Answer
    You can use other things such as toothpicks or dowels. You can use anything that is thin and straight.
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      Warnings

      • Don’t attempt to cook or burn the marshmallows to the spaghetti to try to strengthen your tower. It won’t work, and your tower will just end up burnt.
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      Things You’ll Need

      • Packets of dry spaghetti
      • Packets of full-size marshmallows
      • Timer
      • Chairs
      • Measuring tape

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      Expert Interview

      Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about physics, check out our in-depth interview with Joseph Quinones .

      References

      1. ↑ https://science.psu.edu/outreach/DIYScience/Spaghetti_Tower
      2. ↑ https://science.psu.edu/outreach/DIYScience/Spaghetti_Tower
      3. ↑ https://learning.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/resources/spaghetti-structures/
      4. ↑ https://sciencing.com/build-spaghetti-marshmallow-tower-4560473.html
      5. ↑ https://sciencing.com/build-spaghetti-marshmallow-tower-4560473.html
      6. ↑ https://learning.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/resources/spaghetti-structures/
      7. ↑ https://sciencing.com/build-spaghetti-marshmallow-tower-4560473.html
      8. ↑ https://sciencing.com/build-spaghetti-marshmallow-tower-4560473.html
      9. ↑ https://sciencing.com/build-spaghetti-marshmallow-tower-4560473.html
      1. ↑ https://www.rigb.org/sites/default/files/attachments/spaghettitowers_infosheet_0_1.pdf
      2. ↑ https://sciencing.com/build-spaghetti-marshmallow-tower-4560473.html
      3. ↑ https://sciencing.com/build-spaghetti-marshmallow-tower-4560473.html
      4. ↑ https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/learn/project/building-with-spaghetti/
      5. ↑ https://www.rigb.org/sites/default/files/attachments/spaghettitowers_infosheet_0_1.pdf
      6. ↑ https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/learn/project/building-with-spaghetti/

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