Live Quiz Arena
🎁 1 Free Round Daily
⚡ Enter ArenaQuestion
← HistoryWhich structural risk increased when Roman siege towers approached city walls that had inward-sloping talus foundations?
A)Tower instability due to overhang✓
B)Ramp collapse from excessive shear
C)Timber decay from ground moisture
D)Rope breakage due to increased stress
💡 Explanation
When siege towers approached walls with a talus, the ground floor of the tower had to be further forward than the top level, increasing the tower’s center of mass offset – leading to cantilever instability. Therefore, tower instability resulted, rather than ramp collapse, decay, or rope breakage which involve different mechanisms related to material failure, unsuitable loads, or environmental damage.
🏆 Up to £1,000 monthly prize pool
Ready for the live challenge? Join the next global round now.
*Terms apply. Skill-based competition.
Related Questions
Browse History →- Which long-term consequence resulted from intensive maize cultivation displacing diverse wetland vegetation on Aztec chinampas?
- Which mechanical effect primarily enabled early steam engines to perform work in Newcomen's atmospheric engine?
- Which innovation followed algorithmic design applied to irrigation systems during the Islamic Golden Age?
- Which mechanism primarily enabled ancient rammed earth structures to withstand seismic activity?
- Which structural failure mode became more prevalent in late Roman fortifications lacking consistent maintenance?
- Which navigational error increases when a tall ship relies solely on dead reckoning across ocean currents?
