Thursday, September 9, 2010

The Physics Challenge

The physics of tall structures:
A lot of factors will come into effect for tall structures, such as wind and centre gravity. In our attempt of building the structure, we relied on the use of centre gravity, which was to use long tubes - thiner at top and wider at the bottom. This way, we orginally thought that the balance of the tower would be good because the weight of the long tubes are leaned against the centre of it. As for other well known tall structures in the world, such as the oriental pearl tower in Shanghai, the physics is very different. It has a link of triangles as the base to support the tower.

What makes them stable?
All the tallest buildings in the world usually come from a great design, which came from endless planning. An great architect can sense its balance, shape, height and width, they all must be proportional.

What is the centre of gravity?
In physics, the centre of gravity is a geometric property on any object. At this imaginary centre, the overall weight of the structure is believed to be concentrated at its best. In the designing of structures, especially high and slim ones, the concept is useful for predicting behaviour and motion when it's under gravity's force.

No comments:

Post a Comment