After doing this expariment, I would advise other students to focus more on the weight of the load being excerted, rather than the span at which the object is bent. The span is an important consept of bending, althought the main consept that is trying to be explained is the force of weight being excerted on the three or more main points of the object. That being the center and the sides. I would also advise that students should try to find more things to try to bend than just straws and paper. Straws and paper are good tools to start with, if you would like to further your knowlage I would recomend studying other bending forces of more maluable subistances. For instantce a small beam or tube of some sort.

Henry W