Water Bridge

Even after you see it, it is still hard to believe!

Water Bridge in Germany. What a feat!

Six years, 500 million euros, 918 meters long........now this is engineering!

This is a channel-bridge over the River Elbe and joins the former East and West Germany, as part of the unification project. It is located in the city of Magdeburg, near Berlin. The photo was taken on the day of inauguration.

To those who appreciate engineering projects, here's a puzzle for you armchair engineers and physicists:

Did that bridge have to be designed to withstand the additional weight of ship and barge traffic,or just the weight of the water?

Answer:

It only needs to be designed to withstand the weight of the water! Why? A ship always displaces an amount of water that weighs the same as the ship, regardless of how heavily a ship may be loaded.

Archimedes' Principle: "any body fully or partially submerged in a fluid is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced."

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I have to assume that Archimedes' Principle is correct as I am a dunce when it comes to engineering. All I can contribute to such a discussion is....wow!