Introduction

You are part of an elite engineering team, personally invited by the Indian government, to participate in a major competition to design a new bridge for the city of Calcutta, or Kolkata. If your design is selected, your team will receive professional acclaim; and you will help to advance this growing city. The currently standing Howrah Bridge (or Rabindra Setu) has become one of the worldís busiest bridges and a symbol for the city of Kolkata as well as the state of West Bengal. You have an opportunity to rival the Rabindra Setu in engineering genius and urban efficiency.

However, building a bridge is not as easy as merely drawing up a blueprint. Kolkata experiences high traffic congestion, monsoons, and limited space. Your skills in critical thinking, research, geometry, and physics will be put to the test. Are you ready for the challenge?


Curtesy of Mr. Matt Munro. Retrieved April13, 2004 from http://www.cs.strath.ac.uk/~matt/slides/16/24.jpg