“Destined To Be Rapid And Total”
Those are the words used to describe a new mathematical analysis of the collapse of the World Trade Center towers six years ago today. Dr Keith Seffen of Cambridge University performed the calculations to take a look at how a collapse could have been so rapid and so complete. Once the collapse began, there was no stopping it - and calculations show that it would only take nine seconds - about the same as a free fall from the top of the towers.
The study by a Cambridge University engineer demonstrates that once the collapse of the twin towers began, it was destined to be rapid and total.
One of many conspiracy theories proposes that the buildings came down in a manner consistent with a "controlled demolition".
The new data shows this is not needed to explain the way the towers fell.
Over 2,800 people were killed in the devastating attacks on New York.
After reviewing television footage of the Trade Center's destruction, engineers had proposed the idea of "progressive collapse" to explain the way the twin towers disintegrated on 11 September 2001.
This mode of structural failure describes the way the building fell straight down rather than toppling, with each successive floor crushing the one beneath (an effect called "pancaking").
Dr Keith Seffen set out to test mathematically whether this chain reaction really could explain what happened in Lower Manhattan six years ago. The findings are published in the Journal of Engineering Mechanics.
Previous studies have tended to focus on the initial stages of collapse, showing that there was an initial, localised failure around the aircraft impact zones, and that this probably led to the progressive collapse of both structures.
Ed Morrisey found this item and has this to say about it:
Will this convince the Truthers? Of course not. People who think that Galileo's great contribution to science was postulating the world was round have no real affinity for science or research, but instead for imaginary cabals, innuendo, and paranoia. The truth is out there — at Popular Mechanics, the Journal of Engineering Mechanics, and NIST. It's not in Alex Jones' world.
My own opinions on the "truthers" should be pretty well known by regular readers. There are people in that group who know full well that they are distorting facts, there are others who are easily led and there are the outright stupid. (And yes, that was fully intended to be as insulting as possible.) Collectively, the entire group wouldn't recognize the truth if it walked up and introduced itself.
As I pointed out to one of the drive-by truthers that visit every now and again, the "movement" is very proud of the 200 or so architects and engineers they list as believers. But those 200 or so out of a total employed workforce of 2,430,250 architects and engineers (according to these folks) isn't exactly a bragging point. (I only glanced through their lists but they seemed to have an awful lot of unemployed people on it.)
But, no. This analysis won't penetrate their little fantasy world where they are the brave and fearless heroes. The unscrupulous, mendacious ones will continue to make a living off the gullible ones. And they'll trumpet their echoes back and forth to one another endlessly, jostling for a place on the melted steely knoll with Rosie.
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The Anchoress » Blog Archive » What do YOU remember about 9/11? — Tuesday, 11 September , 2007 @ 10:35 am
By feeblemind, Tuesday, 11 September , 2007 @ 11:39 am
You pretty much hit it in the last paragraph, Gaius. These equations could stand for anything. Who is to say they represent building dynamics? Mathmaticians and engineers are obviously in the employ of the Bushitler Halliburton Neocon Jewish conspiracy to smear the peaceful oppressed religion of Islam.
By Mwalimu Daudi, Tuesday, 11 September , 2007 @ 3:39 pm
Feeblemind - you left out “Global Warming-Denying Tax-Cutting” in your description of the Conspiracy. Didn’t you get the memo?