Elevated Bridge B/C

[andrewwski]

Doesn't matter if it holds the entire mass. It's only judged on efficiency. In my opinion people concern themselves too much with holding the entire mass - I think it's better NOT to hold the entire mass.

[AlphaTauri]

I know. But it's still better for a 10g bridge to hold 15kg than for that same bridge to hold 5kg.

Edit: Never mind. I see your point- if the bridge holds 15kg, you've overbuilt it.

[RandomPerson]

Doesn't matter if it holds the entire mass. It's only judged on efficiency. In my opinion people concern themselves too much with holding the entire mass - I think it's better NOT to hold the entire mass.

Yeah because if you made a bridge strong enough to hold more than the maximum weight, your efficiency will be less than it actually should be.

[lllazar]

So would it be best for the bridge to break at 15kg?

[RandomPerson]

Uh, aim for any weight that gives your bridge maximum efficiency, so aiming under the 15 kg, not necessarily by a lot, would be a good idea.

Of course, I'm not really an expert on this, just my guess.

[andrewwski]

It only matters at which point it breaks as much as it depends how much it weighs. A 5 g bridge that holds 5 kg has the same efficiency as a 15 g bridge that holds 15 kg.

Some have suggested in the past that heavier bridges aren't as susceptible to premature failure from inconsistencies in wood - in my experiences there has been nothing to confirm that.

[AlphaTauri]

Uh, aim for any weight that gives your bridge maximum efficiency, so aiming under the 15 kg, not necessarily by a lot, would be a good idea.

Of course, I'm not really an expert on this, just my guess.

The best case scenario is for the bridge to break exactly at 15kg, because it maximizes the efficency while making sure the bridge isn't overbuilt. However, this might be unlikely to happen in reality, so aim for about 14.75kg.

[andrewwski]

15 kg doesn't maximize efficiency any more than a bridge that holds less. Efficiency is based on two variables.

A bridge that holds 10 kg and weighs 5 g will have an efficiency of 2000, a bridge that holds 15 kg and weighs 10 g will have an efficiency of 1500.

I don't understand the obsession with trying to hold 15 kg, or even close to it. The objective is to maximize efficiency, that requires you to consider both what you hold and the mass of the bridge. Both are equally important.

[AlphaTauri]

Oh, I guess I should clarify what I meant. What I meant was that for one bridge, having that bridge hold 15kg is better than the same bridge holding 5kg. Of course, efficiency also depends on the mass of the bridge, so 15kg isn't really that important.

[lllazar]

Can a bridge really weigh only 5g?....i mean is it even possible given the dimensional requirements?