Monday, May 5, 2014

Parabolas

Parabolas are very commonly used in the real world. They are used to construct many of our everyday buildings. Another example would be bridges. More specifically, the Golden Gate Bridge uses parabolas to make sure the bridge is sturdy enough. The suspension cables on the bridge are parabolas. The parabolic shape of the suspension cables actually do a lot to keep the bridge up. Their shape helps relieve the tension on the bridge from all the weight, and instead distributes it elsewhere through the cables. These cables are constantly being pulled on by the weight of both the bridge itself and the cars that pass by on it everyday. Parabolas are actually very important and they are very useful for many other things besides math class.