Structures : Or Why Things Don't Fall Down

About the book

For anyone who has ever wondered why suspension bridges don't collapse under eight lanes of traffic, how dams hold back-or give way under-thousands of gallons of water, or what principles guide the design of a skyscraper or a kangaroo, this book will ease your anxiety and answer your questions. J. E. Gordon strips engineering of its confusing technical terms, communicating its founding principles in accessible, witty prose.

Reviews

For anyone who has ever wondered why suspension bridges don't collapse under eight lanes of traffic or what principles guide the design of a skyscraper, this book aims to ease your anxiety and answer your questions by communicating engineering's principles in accessible, witty prose.

Quotes

It is really, really good if you want a primer on structural design.--Elon Musk

J. Gordon Biography

Jeremy Gordon has worked with government departments, financial institutions and major corporates on strategy, risk and business development in China over the past 20 years. First in Hong Kong as an officer with Britain's Brigade of Gurkhas (where his first experience of Chinese officialdom was coming face-to-face with an armed officer on board a suspected smugglers' boat), he gained China trade and investment experience with a diversified Hong Kong-based group, and went on to establish the consulting company China Business Services in 2002. He has been the Honorary Secretary and a Committee Member of the 48 Group Club, and a UK Trade and Investment Business Specialist for mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. He is a Director of China Edge, a consultancy focused on Chinese consumers, and a Trustee of Mothers' Bridge of Love, a charity that supports disadvantaged Chinese children. He lives in London with his wife and two children. ... Read full biography