Originally Posted by Deltona Couple

I ask you this, you say that if the upper sections fell down part way onto the lower sections, the lower sections would be able to hold them....then consider this as a basic, though not equally perfect standpoint.

If you were standing up straight, and you had a person weighing say 200 lbs held abover your head by your hands. Normally you could hold that weight above you, (albeit not for a sustained time period) now what would happen if you suddenly allowed that 200 lb person to drop down to your shoulders? wouldn't it be safe to assume that the sudden drop from above your head, to your shoulders, that you would NOT be able to hold that person any longer? Your legs would "collapse" from the SUDDEN change in location of the weight.

I was curious about this, so I talked to my neighbor who is in construction, and he said that I am correct that in construction, structures that have suden changes in load force can cause every underlying structure to fail, and as such, in an ever increasing change, i.e. 20 floors drop their weight onto the lower floor, it fails, dropping 21 floors of weight onto the lower floor, it fails, dropping 22 floors of weight.....etc.