Engineers use computers to help them see what would happen to their bridge design without having to build a model. This is much cheaper and quicker to do.

Can you but the buttresses in to support the bridge?

 

 

Design is the essence of engineering. Engineers spend a great deal of time on planning designs of structures to make sure that they are safe, attractive and relatively cheap to construct. There are many calculations that have to be done to ensure that structures will be able to perform the job that they are designed to do. Using computers allows engineers to measure or calculate the tensile strength, compressive strength, loads, reactions and member forces automatically. This allows engineers to spend their time on the creative design, structural modelling and to explore many more design alternatives than could be done otherwise.

 

 

 

There are at this time no relevant curriculum links but this exhibit can provide extension to a child’s learning.