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The primary effect of gravity on a bridge is that it keeps it "in place" in the wind. The massive weight of the bridge is a key part of its structure and of its structural integrity. Certainly gravity acts to "pull the bridge down" in effect, but we use that to stabilize the structure, turning a "negative" into a "positive" in that light. Gravity transfers forces to the structures that support the bridge, and, in the case of (most) suspension bridges, hold the ends of the main cables to the massive blocks set to maintain the tension of those cables.

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16y ago

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