School Projects
To assist students working on school projects on the Golden Gate Bridge, a number of resources are available through this website that can be used for research. We encourage you to start by reading the entire Research Library section.
Information about Suspension Bridges
The following links are not owned by or affiliated with the Golden Gate Bridge, but may be helpful to you in learning more about suspension bridges.
NOVA Online - Build a Bridge
BridgePros
Discovery School
Buildings and Bridges for Kids and Teens
For More on the Building of the Golden Gate Bridge, visit American Experience.
Making a Model of the Golden Gate Bridge
The various key measurements of the Bridge are located in the Construction Data section of the Research Library. A kit for a 3-D cardboard model of the Golden Gate Bridge can be purchased at the Golden Gate Bridge Gift Center (southeast side of the Bridge) or online at www.paperlandmarks.com/golden.htm
Conic Sections and Parabolas
Hyperbola:
The main span of the Bridge (section between main towers) is effectively part of a hyperbola or the "top" part of a hyperbola. To make a graph of it, here are three points on the curve to use:
North Tower, Point 1: (0, 746)
Middle of the Bridge, Point 2: (2100, 246)
South Tower, Point 3: (4200, 746)
Parabola:
Each side (North and South) of the main towers is a parabola. The total distance on the x-axis of each parabola is 1,125 ft and the change in height on the y-axis is 500 ft. One can be shown as an increasing exponential and the other as a decreasing exponential.
If you wanted to represent the Bridge as one single curve, it would be a "4th order" curve, or something similar to this: y=Ax^4+Bx^3+Cx+D