Engineering & MachinesStructural Engineering
The Safety Factor
Engineers build things several times stronger than needed
An elevator's ropes could hold far more than the people inside. Why build things so much stronger than needed?
You'll find out
- What happens to exactly enough
- How much margin an airliner gets
- The fraud hidden in a famous bridge
Why it matters
Every bridge, elevator and plane you trust was built for a day worse than the one you're having.
Play this lesson
Free to play in your browser or on iPhone