In the competition known as the Science Olympiad, there is an event build called “Boomilevers”. This event consists of building a structure that is fixed on one side to a wall and supports the maximum weight possible on the other side, while the structure itself weighs as little as possible. The Boomilever is a long-standing Olympic event and requires acute attention to detail and a critical architectural mind to achieve the highest possible efficiency score. There are many limitations and guidelines set out in the Olympics rules, which define how tall and long the boomilever must be and how it must attach to the wall. This leads to a construction very similar to a real-life situation, where resources must be used efficiently. Before we go much further, it is necessary to define some terms. First there are the two main forces acting on the boomilever, tension and compression. Tension is the force acting on the side of the boomilever that is being “pulled” away from the wall, or top side. At the other end of the spectrum is compression, which is the force acting on the side of the boomilever that is pushed towards the wall or bottom of the device. In general, compression is the primary concern in construction. Boomilevers are most commonly constructed as right triangles, so they can withstand maximum force. Of course this creates a hypotenuse and also helps define the device. If the tension element is the hypotenuse, the device is known as a “tension boomilever”. Conversely, if the compression element is the hypotenuse, then it is known as a “compression boomilever”. When the boomilever test begins, a weight is placed on the side furthest from the base, i.e. the distal end. This…half of the paper…you can see it in this graphic: All in all, this Science Olympiad event is much more than gluing sticks together. There are many factors to consider and simply throwing together a boomilever on a whim and hoping it will be efficient isn't very realistic. There are many technical aspects and terms associated with a successful device. Some of the main factors come from the materials used and where they were used on the structure. Some are better used in one place or another. All of this must be taken into consideration when deciding how to best use the physics and forces applied to the boomilever. Being a simple machine, it dominates in simplicity for a rather arduous task. Laws like the lever law and Euler's instability theorem come into play when testing and competition begins. A wood and glue structure certainly has much more to offer than meets the eye.