QUEST Lab: Bridge Thermometer - KQED QUEST

The roadway across the Golden Gate Bridge rises and falls as much as 16 feet depending on the temperature. When the sun hits the bridge, the metal expands and the bridge cables stretch. As the fog rolls in, the cables contract and the bridge goes up. Curators from the Outdoor Exploratorium in San Francisco have set up a scope two miles away so you can see how the bridge is moving up or down depending on the weather.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Golden Gate Bridge
• thermometer
• Exploratorium
• temperature
• flex
• bend
• bridge design

[mailman0]

I would love to see a time lapse of this happening throughout the day.

[photochico]

@RippingTime google: Gone But Not Forgotten: The Golden Gate Bridge 50th anniversary

[Intellect1618]

Won't be accurate ambient temperature since sunlight (as opposed to a cloudy day) on a metalic surface (the bridge) can affect the readings, but still an excellent way to see rates of expansion on a massive scale.

[yfcandme]

really awesome doings

[dwdallam]

Very cool. Thanks for your efforts.

[RippingTime]

Sweet. Now if you could just dig up some photos or videos of the anniversary when the bridge was closed to auto traffic and opened to foot traffic and there were so many people on the bridge that it flattened out.