How can we model the effect of resonance on buildings during an earthquake?
The rolling motion of a seismic wave may move at the same frequency of a building. The structure will then sway back and forth during the seismic vibration. The frequency at which this phenomenon, called resonance, occurs is the resonant frequency. A building's architectural design, height (how many stories), and construction materials affect resonance. Buildings engineered with earthquake shaking in mind will withstand resonance and serious damage.
Learners will be able to:
• Explore the concept of resonant frequency for different building heights.
• Investigate how seismic energy enters a structure and how resonance affects building oscillation.
• Explore how engineering design principles help mitigate damage to structures during an earthquake.
We encourage the reuse and dissemination of the material on this site as long as attribution is retained. To this end the material on this site, unless otherwise noted, is offered under Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license
