Quote:
Originally Posted by XabbaRus
It is hitting a certain frequency thus why it is swaying, however if that was its resonant frequency it would have torn itself apart.
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Being on its resonance frequency doesn't necessarily mean the bridge tears itself apart. Any other frequency than (a multiple of) its resonance frequency wouldn't produce this result.
If there were no drag and stuff, a resonance frequency would make the bridge collapse. But the harder the bridge swings, the more drag appears. This makes there is a limit to how high the bridge can swing.
I'm studying electrical engineering, and though being a different field of engineering, it works the same. For a nice example, check this applet of an RCL circuit:
http://www.lon-capa.org/~mmp/kap23/RCL/app.htm
The C and L can be seen as certain aspects of the bridge that determine its resonance frequency, the R is the "drag" of the bridge.
You'll see that the closer you put the drag (R) to zero, the higher the response at its resonance frequency will be.
But as soon as you put the drag up, the max output will decrease.