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Re: [Phys-l] Tacoma Narrows

The AAPT site has a document to accompany its DVD of the video of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse. It gives some good info. Apparently the bridge tended to oscillate from its construction. See more at:
http://www.aapt.org/Store/upload/tacoma_narrows2.pdf

Richard

Richard L. Bowman, PhD | Department of Physics | Professor of Physics
BRIDGEWATER COLLEGE, Bridgewater, VA 22812, USA
phone: 540-828-5441 | online: www.bridgewater.edu/~rbowman
________________________________________
From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu [phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] On Behalf Of Bill Nettles [bnettles@uu.edu]
Sent: Friday, September 09, 2011 5:34 PM
To: Forum for Physics Educators
Subject: Re: [Phys-l] Tacoma Narrows

I don't have access to the write up that was in the film loop that I had at a previous school, but part of the explanation was that the builders didn't follow the original design. For cost reasons, the stiffening girders were downgraded which, in effect, reduced the damping constants, allowed more torsional motion and increased the coupling with the transverse mode. I suspect the design engineer didn't know what they did, but I don't know for sure. I'd love to see the official analysis (those of you with time, search away!); I suspect we'll see that the original would have been adequate, and we physicists would have one less bit of history to show our students. Of course, without the lesson learned at Tacoma Narrows, some other bridge would have failed.
Bill

-----Original Message-----
From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu [mailto:phys-l-
bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] On Behalf Of Anthony Lapinski
Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2011 4:32 PM
To: phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
Subject: [Phys-l] Tacoma Narrows

is the lead story on Yahoo News right now:

http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/5-shocking-architectural-
failures.html

Interesting!

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Forum for Physics Educators
Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
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_______________________________________________
Forum for Physics Educators
Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
https://carnot.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l