This depends on how theoretical or abstract you want to get. You can have a mechanical system that moves upward faster than you can get down (think of a fast escalator), or some kind of impediment making travel in one direction difficult to the point of near impossible (think gates or barrier you must move …
Continue reading “Can a stair be designed only to go up but not down?”
This something of a question of scale. Everything is flexible to some degree. Materials literally run the full gambit of flexible under extremely light force to flexible under only extreme forces. Materials can only take so much force before they break or deform. So, we need more context.
There are three general items we place as poles or spikes on top of buildings. First, lighting rods. I only use this first as they’ve been around the longest. Lighting has a huge amount of amps and volts, so we give a convenient path for that power rather than through sensitive electrical systems like you …
Continue reading “Why are there spikes on top of buildings?”
Yes, you can recover some energy as other answers have mentioned. But, keep in mind that this is a system that is working incorrectly and basically damaging itself.
Yes and no. If you had a simple structure 300 feet tall and completely hollow. The thermal energy from the exterior (sunlight, air temperature, …) would heat the column of air and distribute it so that the heated air would move upwards leaving the cooler air below. Depending on humidity and thermal conductivity of the …
There are two ways to look at this question. What is the lowest part of the structure, or what is the lowest human occupied part of the building. First question. The answer is the foundation. this is the part of the building which interfaces with the building and ground it sits on. Second question. There …
Okay, the answer to this can be rather complex. First, don’t think of the paper as a single object but rather as a net (really more like threads placed in random directions) of single thread-like fibers. When you crumpled the paper you bent each of the threads along each crease beyond their ability to bend …
Simple answer; building codes don’t address the “short column effect.” This is generally addressed during the peer review/plan check process. As such, it depends on whether the plan check engineer checks for this, or if they decide that the engineering presented is adequate.
The answer comes down to any one of several points. First, is it readily available as a building material? Throughout most of the world there are two favored building materials at the single home scale. Wood/timber and concrete/masonry. Basically, if wood is scarce or not suitable due humidity, mold, or infestation concrete or clay blocks, …
Continue reading “Why do people build their homes out of concrete? What are the advantages?”
Let’s break this into two segments; you’ll see why. First, let’s work on a basement intended for human living. Generally, it will be cooler than most similar spaces due to the extra insulation (dirt) outside, unless it is below freezing outside in which case it will tend towards a little warmer. Most of the natural …
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