When engineering fails

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Summary

Using original source footage, this program examines several major disasters, including the space shuttle Challenger, and discusses the scientific principles behind the engineering failures. Analyz...

Using original source footage, this program examines several major disasters, including the space shuttle Challenger, and discusses the scientific principles behind the engineering failures. Analyzing each project, a professional engineer uses practical demonstrations to illustrate the miscalculations that cause bridges to collapse, the fuselage of planes to crack, and the roofs of a newly built hotel and a stadium to give way. The program illustrates a series of tests that can predict project failures. The efficiency of modern computer engineering design is compared with that of traditional engineering methods that require more decision-making and risk on the part of engineers.

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