Bill Nye-Structures

Are you tense? Need some structure to your life? Then tune in to Bill Nye the Science Guy as he explains the science of structures.

• All structures give support or create a shape.
• You can find structures everywhere.
• Bridges, buildings, chairs, shoes, plants, spiderwebs, tables, and even your own body are all structures.
• A structure's shape, size, and what it's made of depend on what the structure does and how strong it needs to be.
• When structures give support, they either experience a pull (tension) or a push (compression).
• Structures in tension, such as ropes, cables, or blimps are made from stuff that is good at pulling. The materials in tension are usually thin.
• Structures under compression, such as elephant legs and courthouse columns, are made from hard stiff stuff. Compared to structures under tension, structures under compression are much thicker.
• When it comes to structures, form (the size and shape) depends on function (what it do

Video follow-up:

• Tug of war with rope
• Measure compressive strength of an egg (see last minute of video)
• Discussion: Why does dropping a brick cause more damage? Dynamic vs Static Loads
  • Static load(force due to gravity) = mA= 10 m/sec2*M
  • De-acceleration is equivalent to loading-Thus if an object changes speed from 10 m/sec to 0 m/sec in 0.1 sec, Dynamic load= de- acceleration* M= 100 m/sec2* M!