The Tacoma Narrows Fallacy

Teach your teacher: the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows bridge WASN'T resonance.

And I defer all arguments to the elocution of Profs. Billah and Scanlon: http://www.ketchum.org/billah/Billah-...

Vortex shedding video: http://youtu.be/JI0M1gVNhbw?t=2m12s
Tacoma Bridge video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mclp9...

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• Category

  Science & Technology

[oOoxelAoOo]

I disagree with you on this one, aeroelastic flutter is a self-excited vibration. Aerodynamic forces interact with the bridge and cause the structure to vibrate, as you explained. However it is forced to vibrate at its resonant frequency which leads to the rapid increase in amplitude which eventually destroyed the bridge.

So in this case "the bridge collapsed due to resonance caused by the wind" isn't incorrect, it's just simplified.

[Jacob Odenthal]

If there's something strange, in your neighborhood who you gonna call? MINUTEPHYSICS

[David Taylor]

Well all I knew was that it was something to do with the wind. And I was right!

[Ro Vega]

Yay! Ur the best MinutePhysics u helped me a lot with getting information

[ijfharvey]

it isn't a lie

[ijfharvey]

*shedding

[godlvl1]

MinutePhysics blow my mind every minutes!

[taylorfisdboss5200]

Im confused, did you curse at 0:46? Or is the process called vortex-shiting?

[Wolfgang Davis]

Aerostatic flutter as originated by Arthur Collar, is the mutual interaction that takes place within the triangle of the inertial, elastic, and aerodynamic forces acting on structural members exposed to an airstream, and the influence of this on the design... Same thing as a flag fluttering in a stiff wind.

[Alfredo Canziani]

Whoa! I'm having so much fun listening and, especially, watching you drawing! It's like I would like to get a degree in Physics too! Why did I choose engineering, lol xD

Just awesome, no other words to say! Actually I'd like to craft some video lectures on your style (with drawings) but I would not know how to start. At the moment I stick with blackboard and chocks. Really amazing, seriously!

[IIGrayfoxII]

galloping gertie