Josh, John, Nikki,
Alicia
John: When we began this project
as a group, I didn't know what to think. I was glad that we didn't have to
start the year in geometry with homework or bookwork, but it sounded odd what we
had to do. The plan was to create a structure made of 25 manila file
folders and white glue that must support 25 pounds and be 9 inches tall.
While this might sound like a joke, (and we did) but toward the last few days
our group focused and did more in the last Friday than any other group could do
in one day.
Josh: I know that only
holding 125 pounds in this project isn't that great, but I think my group did a
great job. I got a lot out of this project, and I think our group worked
really well together.
Tension, Compression, and
Rigidity
We
had to learn certain terms in this project, and how they affected our
structure. One such term was
tension. Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary defines the word as
the act or action of stretching. This is quite literal. Every
building or construct has natural tension acting upon it, the Sears Tower is
being stretched and compressed as we speak by natural
forces.
Compression is the
act of a force pushing down on an object, in our structure the weights were
pushing down on our structure. After a while the compression was to great,
and the structure collapsed. Compression works every day. In example: when
someone sits in a chair, their weight pushes down on the chair creating
compression.
Rigidity is lacking
flexibility. We tried to reinforce the triangles in our structure to
increase rigidity. Triangles are very rigid, they don't bend easily under
compression. Rectangles, on the other hand, are very flexible so they
don't have rigidity.
These three forces worked
together upon our project, when the weights were placed on. That's why our
structure collapsed under the weight. We had to try to make our structure
stand in spite of all these forces working against it. While being tall at
the same time.
Natural Disasters and
how they affect structures
How
do disasters affect buildings and structures? Disasters are unpredictable
as they are dangerous. While the recent New York crash does not fit the
description, it is also something that couldn't be predicted and caused great
damage, so you must excuse our use of the picture. They can be prevented
against by having a greater strength than completely necessary for simply not
collapsing immediately. Earthquakes are an example of a natural disaster
that can harm buildings. When the ground is moving it shifts the building,
because the building isn't as stable anymore. During a hurricane the wind
can knock down smaller structures, but not usually large structures. Since
we didn't have to deal with natural disasters or terrorist attacks, we didn't
have to worry about making our structure earthquake or natural disaster proof.
Strength Engineer-
I learned through my job as the strength
engineer many things about geometry and structures. I learned of the power
of triangles. They support weight well and have very strong bases. I
also learned that the wider the base the more stable the structure. It
makes it less likely it will topple over. Strength is the most important
factor in this project, I feel.
Design Engineer-
Through my questions, I learned many different
things. I explored the honeycomb conjecture of the honeybees. I
found tension and compression in nature, like leaves on a tree. I also
studied the corrugated box, the corrugation helps it to be sturdy when it is
shipped. I also explored the triangle. I found out it was a very strong
shape, and we decided to use it in our structure.
Journalist-
-Some of the things that I found interesting while
conducting my interviews......
1. Most engineers believe that the
triangle is structurally the strongest.
2. The way the engineers keep buildings
like the Sears Tower from falling over because of the height
is by making sure that the stress is
distributed completely evenly.
3. Most architects recommend corrugated
techniques as being the strongest inside structural support.
4. The areas where the most support is
needed is along the outside walls because that is where most of the weight will
be compacting the strucuture.