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Da Capo Press

Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down

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Publisher ‏ : ‎ Da Capo Press; 1st edition (July 10, 2003)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 421 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0306812835


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 35


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.7 ounces


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.13 x 9 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #19,649 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #3 in Structural Engineering #6 in Architectural Materials #64 in Architecture (Books)


#3 in Structural Engineering:


#6 in Architectural Materials:


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Book Review Number One: year 2017
Structures: Or why things don’t fall down A very interesting book, covering a wide field of topics, from the ground up you might say. Basic concepts of forces are addressed. Compression, tension, shear and torsion forces, and their occurrence in everything from bridges, ancient coliseums, trees, boats and human biology. This, the author does very well; constantly interweaving the effects of various types of strains and stresses and fractures as they occur in wood construction and metal beams, as well as human skeletons and arteries. Reasons for, and types of failure are described for wood, concrete, boat sails, steel, femurs and aortas. Advantageous shapes of design for handling wind and accepting impacts are given, and reasons for spoke wheels. Critical and safe limits of fatigue and fracture are described…historical cases are offered, describing why early aero planes crashed and bridges fell down, and why boats capsize. Cautions are pointed out. Over design of repair: The repair must work in harmony with the repaired material, and not be so unyielding that it works against it. So many invisible forces of tension and compression are at play, and violation of acceptable limits must be watched for when they manifest in fractures. Different approaches to bridge trusses are explained, not so much mathematically, but in concepts of load bearing and the transference of force throughout the truss. By way of example, Bowstring bridges seem quite clever in design, where the internal force of the arch pulls the roadway below it taught so that the whole thing is held in equilibrium like a bow and arrow on a giant scale. The all important “thrust line” is a constant theme from chapter to chapter. Now I know why those old cathedrals have so many spires and spooky statues way up there, and it’s not for warding off evil spirits, it’s because they’re heavy. There are photographs, all clumped together in the middle of the book. Black and white, kind of blurry, but still a helpful aid. Very nice drawings, not blurry, and graphs are abundant in all chapters to help visualize the topics being discussed. These and many more topics and application fill this book, none of it came across as boring or dry. Beyond the final chapter, a few concepts are given a light mathematical treatment. Moments in I-beams, deflections in cantilevers and so forth. The pages are made of sturdy heavy paper, the printing is nice size and clear for those who require reading glasses, with ample space around the print for making marginal notes. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2016 by Michael J. etc.,etc...
    • A comprehensive text that's fun to read.
I wish Gordon was my Strength of Material Professor. His grasp of the subject is only exceeded by his writing skills. Reminds me of Richard Feynman in his knowledge and his ability to teach a complex topic.. BTW this is on the recommended book list of Elon Musk. That's a nice endorsement.
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2017 by 403 Forbidden
    • Outstanding
This book requires fairly careful attention plus at least an attempt to follow some very simple algebra. But that said, it is well worth the trouble. This book gave me more of a startling uptick in my ability to perceive and "read" the structures around me - from trees leaning this way or that old bending in the wind, to the fascinating structures of bridges and buildings. Really an outstanding, entertaining, super well written book that literally changed my life. Suggestion: without sketch paper and google search to hand I would have had a hard time soaking this one up. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2020 by Dave
    • Good refresher on physics, mixed with questionable opinion
I enjoyed the physics explanations, and the history of science parts are excellent: the progression of discoveries, the important physicists who enabled the advancement of materials and engineering etc: all these are great. But I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the author has some strong opinions and complaints that in many cases have little to do with the matter, and marred the book for me. Too often I felt I was listening to a curmudgeon: very smart, very educated, but also superior and bitter. There's too many mentions of bad engineers and architects and "little grey people" who "don't understand" to mention. Coming from a professor, this is dismaying: most professors know that everyone has a different level of knowledge, and berating someone because they don't know something doesn't help (worse, it's dangerous!). There's also a questionable opinion about how buildings and furniture and machines made in the 1800s were materially better than in the 20th century (survivorship bias would like a word with you). But the worst part is the last chapter about aesthetics, where the author manages in the space of 3 pages to go from "aesthetics is a matter of perception, it's personal, and a reflection of our times" to "but I believe there are absolute standards of beauty" without skipping a beat. The stress alone of this chapter broke me... Anyway, I would have love to read a book about advanced materials, but I think I'll look at other authors. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2021 by David Chatenay
    • The book is written sort of like a narrative
What this book does very well is demonstrate the scientific process from a practical and engineering perspective. The book is written sort of like a narrative, and the historical descriptions take on a nearly first-person feel to it. It's almost like 'you' can experience the evolution of thought and understanding of structural mechanics. It's as close to a representation of how science is actually done as I've seen. Very unique. FYI though, the guy tends to get a bit verbose and it sometimes feels like words were added to make his stream of consciousness writing make sense to others, but not enough words were taken away later. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2017 by Melissa Johnson
    • Interesting but technically oriented
Although a non-engineer can glean insight into the world inhabited by structural and materials engineers, don’t expect to fully appreciate the points made by the author unless you have a technical background. Tough going at some points (e.g., try to remember the difference between “stress” and “strain”) but a good window into the types of concerns with which engineers have to deal even if a layperson can’t fully understand the underlying principles. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2020 by NY Customer

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