Jonathan - Week 8 Blog Entry

Previously in ENGR-103, our group began to prepare for Assignment 3. We were initially confused as to what we had to do, but we managed to ask DJ for help and he put us on the right road to tackle this assignment. We also discussed a bit more as to how we will modify our bridge to meet the 3' mark and how we are going to add a 3" x 2" tunnel inside. A major accomplishment is that we have an idea for what kind of bridge we are going to bring in next week. We are still deciding between two very different designs, one being very lightweight and the other being sturdy, but requires more pieces.  The issue we have is working on the rest of the third assignment because it looks relatively challenging. 

The method of analysis we are doing for Assignment 3 is good for getting the bare basics down for a bridge's design. This does not factor in other variables such as wind, earthquakes and large amount of cars. Therefore, if you wanted to know if the bridge will stand up, then these calculations are all you need, but a real bridge has to do much more than that. If I could analyze further, I would probably try to get more information about the geography around the bridge. That way, I could see if it is in a very windy location, or if earthquakes are frequent, I can change the supports to match accordingly.