Real structure

Okay kiddo, imagine you are playing with some building blocks. You can stack them up in different shapes and sizes, right? Real structures are just like these building blocks, except they are made of materials like steel, concrete, and wood instead of plastic.

When grown-ups build something like a house or a bridge, they use real structures to make sure it is strong and won't fall down. Real structures can be made up of lots of smaller parts, called members, that are joined together to make a bigger structure. For example, a wall might be made up of many bricks or blocks stacked on top of each other.

Sometimes, real structures have to hold up a lot of weight, like a skyscraper holding up all the floors above it, or a bridge holding up cars and trucks. To do this, engineers use math and science to make sure the real structure is strong enough to do its job.

So, just like how you have to make sure your tower of blocks is sturdy enough to stay standing, grown-ups make sure real structures are sturdy enough to stay standing too.