Tacoma Narrows Bridge (1940) Billah and Scanlan (1991) reported that in fact, many physics textbooks (for example Resnick et al. and Tipler et al.) wrongly explain that the cause of the failure of the Tacoma Narrows bridge was externally forced mechanical resonance. Resonance is the tendency of a system to oscillate at larger amplitudes at certain frequencies, known as the system's natural frequencies. At these frequencies, even relatively small periodic driving forces can produce large amplitude vibrations, because the system stores energy. For example, a child using a swing realizes that if the pushes are properly timed, the swing can move with a very
Overkill (term) Overkill (term) Overkill is the use of excessive force or action that goes further than what is necessary to achieve its goal. It implies that, while the goal was accomplished, there was collateral damage as a result. It may be a literal term referring to physical damage, though it is also used in colloquial conversation as a metaphor. An example is killing an ant with a sledgehammer. "Overkill" is especially used to refer to a destructive nuclear capacity exceeding the amount needed to destroy an enemy. The term is attested from 1946 and was in common use during the Cold