What is Building: Definition and 918 Discussions

A building, or edifice, is a structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory. Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and functions, and have been adapted throughout history for a wide number of factors, from building materials available, to weather conditions, land prices, ground conditions, specific uses, and aesthetic reasons. To better understand the term building compare the list of nonbuilding structures.
Buildings serve several societal needs – primarily as shelter from weather, security, living space, privacy, to store belongings, and to comfortably live and work. A building as a shelter represents a physical division of the human habitat (a place of comfort and safety) and the outside (a place that at times may be harsh and harmful).
Ever since the first cave paintings, buildings have also become objects or canvasses of much artistic expression. In recent years, interest in sustainable planning and building practices has also become an intentional part of the design process of many new buildings and other structures.

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  1. S

    Writing: Input Wanted Building a Sci-Fi Fantasy Solar System & Planet

    I'm hoping that some of you brilliant scientists can help me understand the realities of a world that I'm building for a story in a distant solar system... I’m building a sci-fi world for a story that takes place on a distant planet that is multiple times the size of earth, but hosts similar...
  2. Multiple_Authors

    Building a Definition for Heat - Comments

    Multiple_Authors submitted a new PF Insights post Building a Definition for Heat Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.
  3. N

    Building a truss with matlab -- Need help

    Homework Statement I am suppose to build a truss using a MATLAB code given to me. I have to identify the joint coordinates, member assembly, and load matrix. The code is suppose to calculate the deflections like fea. I have put everything in but when the code runs my deflections are "NaN" which...
  4. C

    Modeling a multi-story building using Ansys Apdl 14.5

    Hello I am new to Ansys and currently conducting a study on ''property of lightweight structures'' I have read and watched videos online but nobody has the tutorials...i'm hoping someone here can help me on how to model a multi-storey building using Ansys...I hope this post makes sense. Thanks
  5. J

    Understanding the Construction of a Kroger-Vink Diagram for Doped Materials

    Hello! I am curently studying the insights of building a Brouwer (Kroger-Vink) diagram for a specific doped material. For example: Al2O3 doped with MgO will result in: Al2O3 + MgO MgAl' + Ali... + OOx + 2VO.. I am trying to figure out how to build the diagram based on this doping reaction...
  6. M

    Chance of building practical quantum computers

    Wiki on quantum tomography says: "The number of experimental configurations (state preparations and measurements) required for quantum process tomography grows exponentially with the number of constituent particles of a system. Consequently, in general, QPT is an impossible task for large-scale...
  7. STEMucator

    Building a PNP Cascode: A Design Exploration

    Hi everyone. I have seen the design for an NPN Cascode many times, but I want to build a PNP Cascode. I have scoured the internet for a standard design, but to no avail. The image below is that of a NPN Cascode. I want to create a PNP cascode by flipping things around. I have placed a red line...
  8. A

    Problems building a 1 bit / 2 to 1 Multiplexer

    First let me just I'm a total newbie to electronics, but I would like to progressively learn how computers work by building the little components with the small parts, and then work up to the ICs once I understand how to make rudimentary versions. I'm trying to make a 1-bit multiplexer out of...
  9. xSpartanCx

    Building a capacitor to find the dielectric constant

    Homework Statement I have a lab where I have to use two methods to find the capacitance of printer paper. Homework Equations C = kAeo / d The Attempt at a Solution From these slopes, I got k = .897 for the first type (using changing distance between the plates of the capacitor) for the...
  10. thorq

    Building a "slider crank"-style lifting platform. Need help.

    Hi, I am trying to design a lifting platform for light duty loads (3d printing build platform) that only uses rotation for its actuation. I have a design that uses a mechanism similar to the slider crank and I want to maximize the total height the platform can travel. This is a sketch of my...
  11. Z

    Is My Idea for a Small Ion-Engine Satellite Feasible and Original?

    Would it be possible to build an approximately 10x10x10 cm ion-engine to put on a cube sattelite? I am a university student, so we have a lot of tools, but not a lot of money. What do I need to consider and how much would it cost?
  12. Jay Menon

    A second chance - building credentials

    I am 27 years old and residing in India. It is my dream to pursue a career in Physics and in academia. A dream that has manifested itself comparatively late in my life. Please do spare a few minutes to read through this mail. It would do be a huge honor and help for me if you do. Many are lucky...
  13. M

    Building an air cannon that shoots a wad of paper

    We are building an air cannon that shoots a wad of paper. I know the volume of the tank, the pressure of the tank, the size of the barrel, and the weight of the object. I need to know how to solve for initial velocity given this information. I will use the Vi to find the estimated distance...
  14. D

    Maximum voltage and current values for building a DC motor

    Hello, I am building a large DC motor for a Go-kart. I have a question: How would I know how much voltage and current (the maximum values I can use) I need to make the DC motor work and spin? I'm guessing the armature size and the winded wire's length depends on how much voltage and current...
  15. D

    How do I build a powerful DC motor for a go-kart?

    Hello, I would like to start building a simple DC motor Go-kart, but I would like to build my own DC motor for it. A simple one that can make the car move. I know how DC motors work and I understand the physics of it, but I'm not sure about some things: - Are all DC motors (large or small) the...
  16. S

    Can a 300W fog machine create a smoke curtain 5 meters high?

    Hi guys, I'm a student and I'm new to this forum. Currently me and my friends are having a small project for the upcoming stage performance at school. We are trying to build a smoke curtain. The system will have a fog machine with 300W power and some PVC pipes that lead vertically to 5 meters in...
  17. R

    Building 6H-SiC, does this look right?

    I'm having some difficulty understanding how to assemble a particular polytype of SiC and I think I may have made a mistake...my solid state knowledge is limited. Basically I start with a hexagonal unit cell for SiC (Moisssanite; four atoms), I attached an image of this unit...I then extended...
  18. S

    Building a touchscreen using two wire meshes

    Hi all, I'm planning on building a touchscreen/pad. I am planning on using two sets of wires each separated by a small gap. One will be in the x direction the other in the y. the top wires will be wired to positive and the lower wires to negative, so that when the pad is touched two wires will...
  19. N

    What is the safest way to focus a powerful laser for a homemade laser gun?

    Hello, I am Noctua and i have 14 years old :D So, today i had the idea of building a sort of non powerful laser gun.I plan to focus the light with converging lens.I will use a powerful laser Pointer.So, here is my questions: If I absurdly concentrate a laser , the concentrated light would be...
  20. B

    Building a Flow Bench - Testing Cylinder Heads with a Pitot Tube

    Hello everyone, I'm in the process of building a flow bench to test cylinder heads. What I'm after is to make a pitot tube to measure port velocity. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
  21. C

    Build a Periscope - Get Help Now!

    Hi everyone! Maybe i am in the wrong section, if so please put this where it belongs. I am trying to built a very smal kind of periscope with two input oculars and one output ocular. It should look like this: I would really appreciate if someone can help me with this, thanks!
  22. X

    Building a Model Car: Maximizing Efficiency with Newton's Law

    Homework Statement Hi, this isn't so much a specific question, but rather a project which I'm embarking on. As part of my coursework, I'm required to take up and work on a Physics project, and I've chosen a problem fro the 2011 IYPT. The problem statement goes like this: Build a model car...
  23. micromass

    Other Exploring Biology: A Beginner's Guide for Mathematics Majors

    Hi membraneinos! :) Mathematics is interesting and all. But sometimes I miss the touch for something real. So I am trying to expand my horizons a bit. And I think that perhaps biology would be fun to learn. So please recommend me any books in biology (but beware, I'm just a beginner!). Also...
  24. Berkan

    Building a solar cooker for school

    (Sorry for my bad English, I'm from Germany) Hello! I need to build a solar cooker as a school project. Our build needs to be able to heat 1 liter of water in 80 minutes. My idea was, to heat the water by using a fresnellens. I've bought a 15.6 x 15.6 inches fresnellens for that. I thought...
  25. T

    Dimension change of opening through concrete slab expansion

    Hi, apologies for the length of this, I'm hoping as a group you knowledgeable established or future Engineers and Physicists can help me out with a problem. I have been having a discussion with a colleague about expansion of a 6m x 7m integrally waterproofed (Kryton KIM) concrete slab roof that...
  26. A

    Help Needed: Building a Tesla Coil - No Arcs Coming Out Toroid

    Hello all, I am in the process of building a tesla coil and I need a little help. I have everything completed enough that I can start testing it. I plug the coil in and the spark gap fires immediately and continuously, but no arcs come out the toroid. I tried moving the toroid closer to the...
  27. O

    Building a Non-Ideal HCP Lattice in MD Simulation

    Dear Friends, I'm trying to bulid a non-ideal hcp lattice in order to use in MD simualtion. I have12 lattice basis. but 2 of them are negative values. Can anyone tell me how I can convert the negative values to positive? 0.66667 0.33333 -0.0416 0.66667 0.33333 -0.1668
  28. helofrind

    Building a 555 Astable Oscillator: Achieving 50KHz Output

    So I built a 555 astable oscillator. I wanted to get 50 KHz on my output, which I have achieved, but the values of my components do not match the formula I have calculated. I have: R1 = 98 ohms R2 = 67 ohms Cap = 100nF So I have: 1.44/(98 + 2 67) 100nF Which should be 62KHz. Also can anyone...
  29. K

    Auto/Motor Building a mini physics motor boat -- Help?

    Should the propeller rotate clockwise or counter-clockwise? Which way will be faster and will allow the boat to accelerate the fastest?
  30. SixNein

    Building a Home Lab: My Electronics Tools & Supplies

    Do you have a home lab? What does your lab consist of? My lab mostly consists of electronics tools like an oscilloscope, function generator, various power supplies, meters, and so forth.
  31. U

    Issue with building a full-bridge Inverter

    Hi, I am building a Full-Bridge Inverter using four IGBT and four drivers for each IGBT. Driver is HCPL-3120, all four drivers are supplied with 15VDC isolated supply. I am switching using M bed micro controller LPC1768 generating two PWM signal working alternately, first signal turns IGBT 1...
  32. T

    Building a half wavelength dipole antenna

    Alright so I am building a few half wavelength dipole antennas for a project and was wondering how large the space should be between each side of the dipole antenna. I have asked a radio forum and they could not help me so I came here. Thanks. Also I herd that an 1 and a half wavelength...
  33. G

    Build a Vacuum Kiln from Shipping Container

    Trying to build a vacuum kiln using an old shipping container. Internal dimensions. 19'3"x7'7"x7'9". The space inside will be about half full trying to figure out how big of a vacuum pump I need. About 565 cubic feet.
  34. L

    Advice on building a radio transmitter in the Radio Control band

    << Mentor Note -- post separated out of a different thread to deal with a separate question >> Hi, I am looking transmit as well as receive power within close proximity. Currently I am looking at 27.255 MHz AM in the citizens band. It is listed on Wikipedia and in statues I found to be for...
  35. 1

    What's the point of building a space elevator?

    i don't get it, people say that it would be a god sent, but i don't get it, even if you are in space, you still need to travel at escape velocity, so you would still need to accelerate, and building a station on geostationary location is EXTREMELY FAR (i thin it was X3 the diameter of earth...
  36. M

    Building a Robot Like Tars from Interstellar

    well , i want to build a very simple walking robot . but i would like to have a special walking mechanism . i'd like it to be like Tars robot in interstellar movie . this video shows the movement mechanism of it . the problem i can't figure out how to build such mechanism of movement . any help...
  37. L

    Determine building height by viewing angles

    You live in the building on the left in the drawing, and a friend lives in the other building. The two of you are having a discussion about the heights of the buildings, and your friend claims that his building is half again as tall as yours. To resolve the issue you climb to the roof of your...
  38. A

    Building my resume as a 2nd year undergrad

    I am a second year physics undergrad at UCSB with a decent gpa (3.65). I am wondering if anyone here has any suggestions of things I should get involved with to improve my resume for future research/internships. As of now I do not have much of anything to put on a resume, besides non-physics...
  39. D

    Universe Building: Exploring Ideas & Questions

    Firstly, This is not a double post... even though from all appearances it might seem. I can't explain further because rules. Now moving on... Before we get started, thanks for the input. Questions... 1. What would happen if a ship using a Genesis Drive (Explained what this is below) activated...
  40. M

    What is the volume of air swept out by a moving plywood sheet on a track?

    Homework Statement A rectangular 4 x 8 foot sheet of plywood is fixed to a sled which moves on a track. The face of the plywood is perpendicular to the direction of the track. The sled is pushed a distance of 3 inches. What is the volume of air swept out during this motion. Homework Equations...
  41. M

    Engineering Building a logic circuit from a truth table

    P.S I know I am not supposed to use attachment but there are no way for me to input the table in a clean way... same for the logic circuit drawing. Would anyone mind helping me? 1. Homework Statement Homework Equations AND gates require both input to be True to get a true ouput NOT gates...
  42. A

    How Does Fan Descender Mechanics Work for Construction Sites?

    I have been tasked to design a controlled descender to be used on a building site to lower tools/rubble to the ground. I'm trying to design a product like a fan descender like that seen at powerfan.co.uk Could anyone help me with the theory side of its operation. Obviously it uses the fans...
  43. S

    Projectile Motion: How tall is the building?

    Homework Statement A ball thrown horizontally at 12.4m/s from the roof of a building lands 20.2m from the base of the building. How tall is the building? Homework Equations I think I'm supposed to use these: horizontal motion: x=x0+vx0t vertical motion: y=y0=+vy0(t)-.5at^2 The Attempt at a...
  44. W

    How is Degeneracy Resolved by Building a CSCO?

    When finding a complete set of commuting observables, the goal, as I understand it, is to specify enough observables in the set such that, when given an eigenvalue of a state from each observable's matrix, these eigenvalues uniquely identify a corresponding eigenvector. It seems that every...
  45. E

    Build an Oleo Strut: Tips, Instructions & Max Energy Absorption

    I was wondering if anyone could assist me in building my own oleo strut or lead me to some detailed instructions, as I'm new to the metalworking concepts that I presume will be involved. Also, out of curiosity, how 'absorbant' can an oleo strut be built - that is, what is the maximum energy one...
  46. B

    Help Building AC Pumps: Is It Realistic?

    So I'm trying my hand at engineering, and I thought "maybe an air conditioner would be a good place to start, that doesn't sound too hard". Stupid idea. Of course it's too hard. But I'm going to try anyways. So what do you guys think about this as a pump? I want to find a very clean cut...
  47. B

    Is the tetrahedron the building block of the universe?

    I am new to physics, and my studies have taken me to this question. Mathetmatically, the tetrahedron is essentially the building block of geometries, does this make it then the building block of our universe? Though I understand this hasn't been proven and we haven't seen this, if mathematics is...
  48. king yasin ally

    Build a Cubesat: Need Mathematician, Physicist, Engineer

    hallo i have a project on building a cubesat, i am trying to find someone who has an idea in where to begin? if someone with some free time would like to join this project i will appreciate it very much and who knows they might be some funding in the near future. if we make it! new time off...
  49. E

    Building a cloud chamber for Science Fair

    Hello physicists, This is my first time on these forums, so I'm sorry if this isn't the right place. Feel free to move it if it isn't. I am building a small cloud chamber to detect particles resulting from the decay of pions in the atmosphere for a local science fair. I hope to see electron...
  50. R

    Deciding Miller Index when building a transistor?

    In obtaining the materials to build a transistor, should one choose wafers of the same Miller indexes? Will the lattice structure affect the interaction between two wafers?
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