Why do skyscrapers sway in wind?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: Designed to flex for safety
Foundation shifts underground — Wrong. Foundations are stable. Buildings sway because they're designed to flex—rigid structures would crack under wind stress.
Designed to flex for safety ✓ — Correct! Engineering intentional! Rigid buildings crack/fail under wind stress. Tall buildings designed to sway—distribute wind forces, prevent damage. Taipei 101 sways ~1 meter in strong winds. Dampers reduce motion: tuned mass dampers (heavy weight on springs counteracting sway—Taipei 101 has 660-ton sphere!). Buildings like trees—flexibility = survival. Occupants rarely feel movement (motion dampened). Stiffness + flexibility = structural engineering balance!
Wind pushes them permanently — Wrong. Sway is temporary oscillation, not permanent displacement. Wind creates dynamic loads—building flexes then returns to original position.
More Physics in Daily Life questions
- In a warm office that already reads 26 C, which change can make people feel cooler without lowering the thermostat?
- Why might 26 C feel acceptable in a breezy naturally ventilated summer building but too warm in a sealed winter office?
- On a warm humid day, why can the same 27 C room feel much worse once you start sweating?
- Why can moving air make a 27 C room feel cooler without changing the thermometer?
- Which hidden factor can make a desk beside a cold window feel chilly even when the thermostat across the room still reads 22 C?
- In the same 22 C room, why might someone who just climbed stairs feel warm while someone sitting in a T-shirt feels chilly?