GALLOPING GERTIE
Click on the links below to learn more about Galloping Gertie and other bridges. At the bottom of the page, there are also some experiments you can do to learn more about different types of waves.
Galloping Gertie, minutes before her final collapse. Photo credit: www.bridgemuseum.org
YouTube link to video of the collapse of Galloping Gertie 1940 : Gertie video
YouTube link to video about the London Millennium Bridge: Millennium video
YouTube link to video of the London Millennium Bridge imitating Galloping Gertie’s twisting in a scene from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. WARNING: This one is a little scary; after all, it is Harry Potter!: Harry Potter video
Find out more about Galloping Gertie at the Washington State Department of Transportation website. There is a lot to explore here, so click on all the links! : Tacoma Narrows Bridge
EXPERIMENT
MAKE YOUR OWN TRANSVERSE WAVE WITH A SLINKY!
1. Hold one end of a slinky and someone else hold the other end (or slip the other end securely around a doorknob.)
2. Slowly back away until the slinky is stretched out loosely between you and your partner.
3. Quickly jerk your end of the slinky up and then down, causing a wave to travel along the length of the slinky toward your partner. Vary your motion to create larger or smaller waves and faster or slower waves.
4. Next, see if you can create a standing wave by rhythmically moving the slinky up and down. The slinky should begin to bounce up and down, but the wave will no longer be moving from one end of the slinky to the other. Instead the wave will be “standing” between the two people in the shape of an “S” turned on its side.
EXPERIMENT
MAKE YOUR OWN LONGITUDINAL WAVE WITH A SLINKY!
1. Hold one end of a slinky and have someone else hold the other end.
2. Slowly back away until the slinky is stretched out loosely between you and your partner.
3. Lower the slinky until it is resting on the floor. A smooth surface works best.
4. Quickly push your end of the slinky toward your partner and then pull it quickly back toward yourself. Watch the “squished up” part of the slinky (the wave) as it travels from you to your partner. Vary your motion to create shorter or longer waves and faster or slower waves.