From the course: Practical Engineering
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Tuned mass dampers for tall buildings
From the course: Practical Engineering
Tuned mass dampers for tall buildings
- [Grady] In many of the world's tallest skyscrapers, there's a secret device protecting not only the building but also the people inside from strong motion due to wind and earthquakes. Did you know you can tune a skyscraper just like a guitar? Hey, I'm Grady. Today, on Practical Engineering, we're comparing theory to the real world for tuned mass dampers. (buzzy electronic music) What do a marble and a bowl, a guitar string, and a skyscraper have in common? All three are examples of oscillators. An oscillator is just a system that when you displace it from its equilibrium position, it experiences a restoring force. I move this marble from the center of the bowl, it experiences a force, gravity, pulling it back toward the equilibrium position. I pull on a guitar string, the tension in the string increases, trying to pull it back to the center. When the displacing force is released, the system oscillates back to equilibrium. What about the skyscraper? Maybe this sweet montage will help…
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