The application of physics to the built environment, particularly with regard to the movement of heat, air, moisture, pollutants and light through buildings.
Questions tagged [building-physics]
43 questions
18
votes
5 answers
Which direction does air flow?
I remember learning this in high school, but have forgotten it, and can't seem to find it anywhere online.
Air travels from areas of high pressure to low pressure...correct? So if I have a cold room in my house, does the air move from the warm rooms…
Andrew
- 283
13
votes
6 answers
Should I heat my room when I'm not here, energy-efficiently speaking?
I was wondering as it's getting cold : is it better for my electricity bill to shut down completely my (electric) heater during day, and to turn it on again when I come home (then it will have to heat the room from something like 5°C to around…
Zonko
- 273
- 2
- 6
6
votes
1 answer
Water flushed down, water pumped up (in buildings)
I live in a tall building (20 floors) on a mountain. Because the water pressure from the water company is not enough, there is a water pump at the last floor which is activated each time someone is using fresh water in his apartment.
To me, that's a…
Vincent
- 185
5
votes
4 answers
Can sound be separated from air?
I would like to open up a window in my house, let the air in, but keep the sound out. Could a device be designed to put up on the window, like a screen, and accomplish this?
Abid A
- 153
4
votes
1 answer
Why can thin sponge lining soundproof earmuffs but not walls?
Every webpage that I can find says that sponge is bad soundproofing material for walls because it's light and physics says that materials with more mass isolate better.
So my question is how come thin sponge lining can isolate earmuffs with noise…
user337563
- 41
4
votes
1 answer
When a skyscraper sways in the wind, in which direction is the motion?
Skyscrapers sway in the wind (Source here). Which direction, relative to the wind, do they sway, ignoring effects of other buildings nearby?
I can imagine wind from the North blowing a skyscraper's tip to the South, and then (because wind isn't a…
jhch
- 213
4
votes
1 answer
'Drummy' sound when striking with a hammer
In building there is a common test for masonsry structures that involves striking the structure with a hammer and listening to the resulting sound. If the sound is ringing the structure is fine but if the sound is 'drummy' (maybe like a dull thud)…
Ian Turner
- 253
4
votes
5 answers
Why do tall buildings have low resonant frequencies?
I know that tall buildings have low natural frequencies, hence they're more vulnerable to earthquakes, but why do they have low natural frequencies?
4
votes
3 answers
Does opening the oven door heat the house more than if the door is closed?
In the winter I am in the habit of opening my oven door once I am done baking so that I can add the heat to the house. However I recently thought about it and it would seem that even if the door is closed, and the oven insulated, the only way for…
DQdlM
- 353
3
votes
5 answers
If I replace all my lights with LEDs will my heating costs increase?
A number of nations are passing bills to phase out incandescent light bulbs. The thinking is that the tungsten filament is an inefficient method of turning electricity into light, the rest of the energy is converted to heat, so LED will save power…
Luke Puplett
- 133
3
votes
3 answers
Why is an air conditioner more efficient in a low-thermal-mass house?
Why is an air conditioner more efficient in a low-thermal-mass house?
I recently read
To get these efficiency gains it is important to use the air
conditioner as it is intended: the unit has to be sized right for the
room you are…
David Cary
- 1,063
3
votes
3 answers
Function of air conditioner
What i always thought that air conditioners blow the cool air without knowing that they actually take the warm air from indoor and from outdoor. But whats the point of taking air from indoor and outdoor, Shouldn't they just be blowing the cool air…
user754615
- 39
3
votes
2 answers
What devices could be taken round dwellings to measure the thermal conductivities of buildings in situ?
Your lateral thinking and knowledge of lab kit could help us solve a tricky measuring problem in building-physics.
One of the problems we get in modelling the heat demands of buildings, is getting an accurate number for the building's thermal…
410 gone
- 4,164
2
votes
1 answer
Vortex shedding
So I was reading about vortex shedding, and got to know that it causes the building to resonate. Is there any way to use this resonance to generate electricity (maybe use quartz?)
I am trying to make this model for a science fair. I am in grade 9…
user124740
- 121
2
votes
0 answers
Mechanics of an elevator bed/platform in a Tiny House
I'm building a Tiny House that will have a platform that moves about 1 meter up and down. Given that I have little to no experience using pulleys, cogwheels or any of the like, I'd like some feedback on the design I made. The driving force would be…
