Essential questions 6.1

1. What is structural engineering?
Structural engineering is a form of engineering focused on the design part of a building. More specifically it deals with the strength and stability of the structure.
2. How does the design of a structure impact how loads are dispersed?
When designing the structure the engineer must take into account the placement of beams and columns. The designer must arrange the beams and columns in such a way that the loads are dispersed evenly and transfer the majority of the weight to the ground.
3. In what ways are wind, snow, and dead and live loads similar or different?
Wind, snow, and DL and LL are a similar because they impose a weight issue on the structure. Although wind and snow are both LL they still cause a less controllable weight onto the structure.
4. How does the use of mathematics help in understanding about the forces and loads on a structure?
We use math to help calculate the different forces and loads placed on the building and then build the structure to best handle the loads and forces.
5. How do you determine what loads are applied to a structure?
You must research the area you are building the structure in and plan accordingly for weather. Also you must take into account the use of the structure such as books in a library.
6. Where would you locate a load table to assist your design process?
Some good places to locate a load table would be on the Internet or maybe a book addressing the different weights of common objects used during the construction process.