What number is meant by the title of this article and the Eastern proverb "the arch never sleeps"?

1. An arch consists of two weaknesses so it's always shaky and needs to 'stay awake'.

2. An arch is always working to hold itself up. It has to "stay awake" or it will crumble.

3. The voussoirs rest on the centering until the keystone is wedged into place so they never 'sleep'.

4. An arch can carry more weight than a straight beam can across the same span, so its used frequently and hence never 'sleeps'.

Question

Samantha Mays

English

12 February, 00:56

What number is meant by the title of this article and the Eastern proverb "the arch never sleeps"?

1. An arch consists of two weaknesses so it's always shaky and needs to 'stay awake'.

2. An arch is always working to hold itself up. It has to "stay awake" or it will crumble.

3. The voussoirs rest on the centering until the keystone is wedged into place so they never 'sleep'.

4. An arch can carry more weight than a straight beam can across the same span, so its used frequently and hence never 'sleeps'.

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Answers (1)

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Castillo · Answer 1

2. An arch is always working to hold itself up. It has to "stay awake" or it will crumble.

In order for an arch to stay stable there has to be an equal amount of tension between the two halves of the arch.