Quote:
Originally Posted by fsquared
It's a famous example in physics classes when you get to the "resonance" unit, although apparently it's not all that simple.
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True. This bridge's behavior was a surprise to everyone at the time.
Since then we have learned a lot.
For example, bridges and buildings in earthquake zones are checked for multiple vibrational modes, to check to see if they will resonate with the likely frequency of ground movement during an earthquake.
If it seems likely, they are detuned in some way.
For example, for a building, they might put a large mass on one of the high floors, along with shock absorbers that only let it move at a frequency well out of tune with the earthquake.