Question

Must engineers take Earth’s rotation into account when constructing very tall buildings at any location other than the equator or very near the poles?

a) Yes, because Earth's rotation affects the structural stability.
b) No, as Earth's rotation has negligible impact on building construction.
c) Only if the building is extremely tall.
d) It depends on the building materials used.

Answer 1

Yes, engineers must take Earth's rotation into account when constructing very tall buildings at any location other than the equator or very near the poles.

Step-by-step explanation:

Yes, engineers must take Earth's rotation into account when constructing very tall buildings at any location other than the equator or very near the poles.

The rotation of Earth affects the structural stability of tall buildings because it introduces additional forces such as the Coriolis force and changes the direction of the gravitational force.

For example, at latitudes other than the poles, the centripetal acceleration is directed toward a deviation from the center of Earth, causing the plumb bob line of a building to deviate from the radius through the center of Earth. Therefore, engineers align the buildings along this deviated direction to ensure stability.