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Chapter 4
Analytical Thinking
e construction of a suspension bridge is a massive undertaking. Architects and
engineers who work as bridge builders are expected to safely span immense dis-
tances using a minimum of building materials and construction time. If these
builders were required to recreate all of the necessary mechanical principles each
time they approached such a project the construction of bridges would be pro-
hibitively expensive in money, time, and risk of span failure because of oversight or
error. Fortunately, people engaged in the construction industry can draw on a vast
repository of physical properties, building tec ...