full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Alex Gendler: How one design flaw almost toppled a skyscraper

Unscramble the Blue Letters


While this novel design worried some of the building's backers, cehif structural engineer waillim LeMessurier took numerous precautions to ensure the building’s stability. The outside would consist of v-shaped chevrons, forming a strong exoskeleton to support the skyscraper. This external structure also made the building much lighter, meaning there’d be less wiehgt to srouppt overall. This design did lavee the building vulnerable to strong winds. But LeMessurier had another state-of-the-art solution— a tuned mass damper. This 400-ton cngertwuhoiet was controlled by cmezorptueid sensors deigsend to counteract any swaying. With these structures in place, calculations showed that each side of the building could withstand powerful winds. And with all safety issues rvsoeled, the building opened for business in 1977.

Open Cloze


While this novel design worried some of the building's backers, _____ structural engineer _______ LeMessurier took numerous precautions to ensure the building’s stability. The outside would consist of v-shaped chevrons, forming a strong exoskeleton to support the skyscraper. This external structure also made the building much lighter, meaning there’d be less ______ to _______ overall. This design did _____ the building vulnerable to strong winds. But LeMessurier had another state-of-the-art solution— a tuned mass damper. This 400-ton _____________ was controlled by ____________ sensors ________ to counteract any swaying. With these structures in place, calculations showed that each side of the building could withstand powerful winds. And with all safety issues ________, the building opened for business in 1977.

Solution


  1. counterweight
  2. computerized
  3. chief
  4. weight
  5. resolved
  6. leave
  7. support
  8. designed
  9. william

Original Text


While this novel design worried some of the building's backers, chief structural engineer William LeMessurier took numerous precautions to ensure the building’s stability. The outside would consist of v-shaped chevrons, forming a strong exoskeleton to support the skyscraper. This external structure also made the building much lighter, meaning there’d be less weight to support overall. This design did leave the building vulnerable to strong winds. But LeMessurier had another state-of-the-art solution— a tuned mass damper. This 400-ton counterweight was controlled by computerized sensors designed to counteract any swaying. With these structures in place, calculations showed that each side of the building could withstand powerful winds. And with all safety issues resolved, the building opened for business in 1977.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations


ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
diane hartley 2
building vulnerable 2
mass damper 2
powerful winds 2
bolted joints 2
city officials 2


Important Words


  1. backers
  2. building
  3. business
  4. calculations
  5. chevrons
  6. chief
  7. computerized
  8. consist
  9. controlled
  10. counteract
  11. counterweight
  12. damper
  13. design
  14. designed
  15. engineer
  16. ensure
  17. exoskeleton
  18. external
  19. forming
  20. issues
  21. leave
  22. lemessurier
  23. lighter
  24. mass
  25. meaning
  26. numerous
  27. opened
  28. place
  29. powerful
  30. precautions
  31. resolved
  32. safety
  33. sensors
  34. showed
  35. side
  36. skyscraper
  37. stability
  38. strong
  39. structural
  40. structure
  41. structures
  42. support
  43. swaying
  44. tuned
  45. vulnerable
  46. weight
  47. william
  48. winds
  49. withstand
  50. worried