I love the book Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down. It's one of those rare books that leaves you thinking about the world differently. Most books are skimmed, enjoyed, but rarely absorbed. Structures piqued my curiosity in a way few technical books do.
The book explores a deceptively simple question: why don't things fall down? Through materials science, structural engineering, and physics, J.E. Gordon reveals the invisible forces holding our world together—and the precise moments when they fail.
One concept stood out: stress and strain. Engineers use these measurements to understand material behavior under load. I realized this mental model applies far beyond physical materials. It's a tool for understanding any system under pressure—including software.
The Physical World: How Steel Behaves
When you pull on a piece of steel, it first acts like a spring: stretch it and it snaps back. Keep pulling harder and you reach a point where it starts to permanently stretch, called the yield point.