Why Are I-Beams Shaped Like An I?
Added 2016-12-08 14:41:00 +0000 UTCHey Everyone!
Tried to incorporate some of the changes you suggested to the first draft. I was a bit pushed for time on this, so hope it turned out okay. Pressed publish during my pitch to the judges of that young entrepreneur competition. The gamble paid off well, judges were impressed with the live analytics!
Comments
Definitely better. The sequence showing the transition from the "flat" rectangular beam to the on-edge rectangular beam, to the re-configured beam that's now an "I" shape was particularly effective. One improvement in the animation I'd suggest would be in that second transition. As you have it, the rotated beam becomes magically narrower, and then material is magically added top and bottom from nowhere, as it were. Since you're trying to show a *reconfiguring* of the material, it would be clearer to animate as though you were cutting off two slabs from each side of the beam, leaving them visible, then moving them to the top and bottom to for the "I" shape. Make sure we can see all of the material throughout the whole animation. Were you to revise the script yet again, the only suggestion I'd have would be to try to explain what the "second moment of area" actually *is*. You used the term a lot, but I never felt like I had a clear understanding of that concept, except as some vague "number that gets bigger when stuff is farther from the neutral axis" quantity. Since providing clear understandings of engineering concepts is kind of your channel's whole raison d'etre, that seems a bit of a shame.
jason black
2016-12-08 16:34:57 +0000 UTCThe addition of the animations to show the max tension/compression were awesome - as was the morphing of the other beam. Nicely done Brian!
Richard Campbell
2016-12-08 14:53:30 +0000 UTC
