Eli5: How can a high rise building survive an earthquake?
In: Engineering
Damper system: They have a heavy mass on top of high rise buildings to counter the the shaking at its base. Imagine a pebdulum on a table and shake the table. The pendulum will always sway opposite to the direction of the table.
Base isolation: Basically putting a shock absorber beneath the building. Imagine a tall can shaped jello. If you shake its base the top (in an ideal condition) will stay at its position. This is like a reverse pendulum mechanism of the damper idea above.
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