Challenge yourself
here:
A Backhoe weighing
8 tons is on top of a flatbed trailer and heading east on
Interstate 70 near Hays, Kansas. The extended shovel arm
is made of hardened refined steel and the approaching overpass
is made of commercial-grade concrete, reinforced with 1
1/2 inch steel rebar spaced at 6 inch intervals in a crisscross
pattern layered at 1 foot vertical spacing.
Solve: When the
shovel arm hits the overpass, how fast do you have to be
traveling to slice the bridge in half? (Assume no effect
for headwind and no braking by the driver...)
Extra Credit: Solve
for the time and distance required for the entire rig to
come to a complete stop after hitting the overpass at the
speed calculated above.
Answer - Who cares,
the trucking company just bought themselves a bridge.
See Photos Below:


