Question

tower forces
in the diagram below, label as many different forces as you can that will act on the towers shown.
observations about the compression of balsa sticks of different lengths:
handwritten text
observations about the torsion of balsa sticks of different lengths.

Explanation:

For identifying forces on the towers:

Forces acting on the towers include:

1. Gravity (pulls towers downward, due to Earth’s mass).
2. Wind Force (from the “Mother” (wind) symbol, pushes towers horizontally).
3. Normal Force (from the ground, supports towers upward against gravity).
4. Compression/ Tension Forces (internal, from tower structure holding weight/ resisting wind).

For balsa stick observations (compression):

Shorter balsa sticks resist compression better (are “stronger” in compression) because shorter columns have less leverage for buckling; their length - to - cross - sectional - area ratio is lower, so they deform less under compressive loads.

For balsa stick observations (torsion):

Shorter balsa sticks resist torsion better (twist less) because torsion resistance depends on length; shorter lengths have less “arm” for torque to act, so angular deformation under twisting force is smaller (torque causes twist, and twist angle is proportional to length for same material/ cross - section, from torsion formula $\theta=\frac{TL}{GJ}$, where $L$ is length—shorter $L$ means smaller $\theta$).

Answer:

Shorter balsa sticks resist torsion better (twist less) because torsion resistance depends on length; shorter lengths have less “arm” for torque to act, so angular deformation under twisting force is smaller (torque causes twist, and twist angle is proportional to length for same material/ cross - section, from torsion formula $\theta=\frac{TL}{GJ}$, where $L$ is length—shorter $L$ means smaller $\theta$).