Bridges
spanning a distance

Bridges make it easier to transfer things (cars, people, trains) across natural or man-made obstacles. The main designers of bridges are people called Structural Engineers.

Bridges are built to withstand huge forces without collapsing. It is important to keep the mass of the bridge as low as possible. For the force of gravity acting on the bridge is proportional to the mass of the bridge and the objects placed on it. Lighter bridges are cheaper and easier to build,
When looking at the design of bridges you will notice that triangles and arches figure prominently.

There is a good reason why arches and triangles are frequently used in bridge design. They are stable and distribute the forces acting on the bridge in the most efficient way to keep the bridge from collapsing. Arches are also considered graceful and pleasing to the eye.

Click to learn more about triangles.
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