September 2019
Intermediate to advanced
240 pages
4h 15m
English
Why do engineers use steel and not iron as a structural frame for buildings? Iron is really strong, after all. But steel has one crucial advantage – it’s flexible. It doesn’t snap because it can bend. Indeed it can be quite disconcerting being at the top of a tall building as it sways in a high wind, but that swaying is the reason it doesn’t break. Steel, you see, is resilient.
In scientific terms, resilience in materials means their ability to spring back into shape, their elasticity. And we’re no different – we need a degree of elasticity to help us to bounce back in the face of adversity or high winds.
When you’re buffeted by metaphorical storms, you have to have a bit of give. You might think that standing firm and ...