Art of Construction

Unit 13: Shape and Strength

"If you hold a thin sheet of paper by one of its short sides, the sheet droops and is unable to carry even its own small weight. But if you bend it slightly upward and give it a curvature, it cantilevers out and may carry some small weight in addition to its own dead load."

p. 109 Art of Construction

A piece of paper without curvature
A piece of paper with curvature

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Unit Navigation Unit 1: From Cave to Skyscraper Unit 2: Building a Tent Unit 3: What is a Beam? Unit 4: What Do We Build Structures With? Unit 5: The Floor of Your Room Unit 6: A Steel Frame Unit 7: Part of a Building You Don't See Unit 8: What Tornadoes, Earthquakes, and Temperature Can Do Unit 9: How to Fight Tornadoes and Earthquakes Unit 10: Ropes and Cables Salvadori Center Unit 13: Shape and Strength Unit 14: Barrels, Dishes, Butterflies, Bicycle Wheels and Eggs Unit 12: Strings and Sticks Unit 11: Sticks and Stones Unit 15: Balloons...and Back to the Tent