Opposing Poetries Readings

Explains to structural engineers some of the basic equations for analyzing and designing buildings that were devised at the end of the 19th century but were so unmanageably complex to solve that they were displaced by approximation techniques until the recent advent of electronic computer. Heyman (engineering, U. of Cambridge) warns that some of the equations turn out not to fit reality as close as future occupants of buildings might prefer, and explains how to use them and in what context. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR