Dear friends:
As I have recently watched DVD of Patterns of Evidence: Exodus. It also showing the Archaeological records of the falling down of the walls of Jericho-- a sudden crashing down of its walls like earthquakes. That reminds me of a page in the text book of "Differential Equation and Application"
In that page, the author asks this question "Did the power of acoustic resonance cause the walls of Jericho to tumble down? " This is the conjecture of some contemporary scholars.
The above question is a very intriguing question, right?
Now let me type a few paragraph from P.200-201 and paste below for you to think about. You may also watch Youtube to see Tacoma Bridge was falling down!
The original Tacoma Narrows Bridge roadway twisted and vibrated violently under 40-mile-per-hour (64 km/h) winds on the day of the collapse
...You may be aware that soldiers usually do not march in step across bridges. The reason for breaking stride is simply to avoid any possibility of resonance occurring between the natural vibrations inherent in the bridges structure and the frequency of the external force of a multitude of feet stomping in unison on the bridge.
Bridges are good examples of vibrating mechanical systems which are constantly being subjected to external forces, either from people walking , cars and trucks driving on them, water pushing against their foundations, or wind blowing against their superstructures. On Nov.7,1940, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge at Puget Sound in Washington collapsed. However, the crash came as no surprise since this particular bridge was famous in the local community for a vertical undulating motion of its roadway which gave many motorists a very exciting crossing. On Nov.7, only four months after its grand opening the amplitudes of these undulations became so large that the bridge failed and a substantial portion was sent splashing into the water below. In the investigation that followed, it was found that a poorly designed superstructure caused the wind blowing across it to vortex in a periodic frequency of the bridge, large upheavals of the road resulted. In a word, the bridge was another victim of the destructive effect of mechanical resonance. Since this disaster developed over a matter of months, there was sufficient opportunity to record on film the strange and frightening phenomenon of a bucking and heaving bridge and its ultimate collapse.
Acoustic vibrations can be as equally destructive as large mechanical vibrations. Operatic and jazz singers sometimes take pride in their ability to inflict destruction on the lowly water glass. The sound from organs and piccolos have been known to crack windows.
“As the horns blew, the people began to shout. When they heard the signal horn, they raised a tremendous shout. The wall collapsed….” (Joshua 6:20 )
Did the power of acoustic resonance cause the walls of Jericho to tumble down? This is the conjecture of some contemporary scholars. (p.201 Differential Equation and Application)
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