Nidya Diaz MA Algebra II Period 10 Golden Gate Bridge Nidya Diaz MA Algebra II Period 10

History Before the Golden Gate Bridge the only way to get across the San Francisco Bay was by ferry. In the 1920’s engineer and bridge-builder Joseph Strauss became convinced that a bridge should be constructed across the Golden Gate. There was a lot of opposition to this. There was a great engineering challenge that was faced, the area often has winds of up to 60 miles per hour. Another challanges faced were the construction of the San Fracisco Bay Bridge and the Great Depression, there were not sufficient funds to build this bridge. Joseph Strauss presisted and voters approved $35 million in bonds to bulid it. Construction began in 1933. The Golden Gate Bridge project was completed in 1937, a prominent date in San Francisco history. It was opened on May 27, 1937

History Strauss was the chief engineer but he didn’t have enough knowledge to build it himself, much of the resposibilty of engineering and architecture fell on other experts. Irving Morrow, designed the overall shape of the bridge towers, the lighting scheme, and Art Deco elements such as the streetlights, railing, and walkways. Senior engineer Charles Alton Ellisdid much of the technical and theoretical work that built the bridge, but he received none of the credit in his lifetime. Strauss would take all the credit for himself but later it came out that others were more responsible for the building of the bridge than Strauss

Some Interesting Facts Ninth-longest suspension span in the world. A few Golden Gate Bridge facts : Total length: Including approaches, 1.7 miles 8,981 feet Middle span: 4,200 feet Width: 90 feet Clearance above the high water (average): 220 feet Total weight when built: 894,500 tons Total weight today: 887,000 tons. Weight reduced because of new decking material Towers: 746 feet above the water 500 feet above the roadway Each leg is 33 x 54 feet Towers weigh 44,000 tons each There are about 600,000 rivets in EACH tower. The Golden Gate Bridge is the most popular place to commit suicide the in the entire world

Math Bridge designers use trig to add and subtract forces together and ensure a bridge will be counter-balanced and structurally sound under all possible conditions. Obviously they use geometry And in the case of the Golden Gate Bridge, which is a suspension bridge, Algerbra is used. The shape of the cables that supend these bridges are parabolas.

sources http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Golden_Gate_Bridge.html http://www.goldengatebridge.org/research/school.php http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate_Bridge#Design