Question

question 3-1
the tacoma narrows bridge, nicknamed galloping gertie, was built in the 1940s. within a few months, it began to undulate, or bounce, on its cables. it broke in supports completely in november and the first car drove across it, crashing into the river below it.
based on what you have learned about wave behaviors, support the claim below with evidence from your science notebook. you will need to write 2 paragraphs. the first paragraph must state what supports the claim. the 2nd paragraph should explain how your evidence supports the claim (reasoning)
claim: the fall of the tacoma narrows bridge is due in large part to resonance.

Explanation:

To support the claim about the Tacoma Narrows Bridge's fall due to resonance, we can use the concept of resonance in physics (a subfield of Natural Science). Resonance occurs when an external force (like wind) matches the natural frequency of a structure, causing large - amplitude oscillations. For the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, the wind provided a periodic force that matched the bridge's natural frequency of oscillation. This led to increasingly large undulations (as observed) until the structural integrity was compromised, resulting in the collapse. In the first paragraph, we can state the evidence: the bridge undulated and collapsed, and relate it to the wind acting as the driving force. In the second paragraph, we explain the reasoning: resonance happens when the driving frequency (wind) equals the natural frequency of the bridge, causing energy transfer to the bridge's oscillations, amplifying them until failure.

Answer:

The fall of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge is due in large part to resonance. The wind acted as an external force with a frequency matching the bridge's natural frequency, causing resonance - induced large - amplitude oscillations that led to the bridge's collapse.