Flying buttress

Have you ever seen a big building that has a wall on the outside that sticks out and looks like a big archway? That's called a flying buttress. The wall and the arch are connected to each other, and together they hold up the roof of the building like a giant support system.

When people first started building really big buildings like cathedrals hundreds of years ago, they needed a way to make sure the walls didn't collapse under the weight of the roof. That's where the flying buttress comes in.

Think about when you hold a heavy book with your arms straight out in front of you. If you keep your arms straight, it's hard to hold the book up for a long time because your muscles get tired. But if you bend your elbows, you can rest the book on your arms and hold it up for longer.

The flying buttress works kind of like bending your elbows. The wall on the outside of the building sticks out and has a big archway in it, which helps to distribute the weight of the roof more evenly. The arch also helps to keep the wall from pushing out too much, which could make the wall collapse.

So, in simple terms, a flying buttress is a way to make sure big buildings stay standing and safe by using arches and walls to support the weight of the roof in a really strong way.