Knowledge Workers and the Brooklyn Bridge 8 Essay

Knowledge Workers and the Brooklyn Bridge 8 - Essay Example engineers, namely Washington Robeling and those who worked with him, that were mainly concerned with design aspects such as knowledge of gradient, impact of erosion by water over time, angles for rafters and columns and related information. Designing and construction of a bridge requires a basic knowledge and comprehension of the many aspects constituting â€Å"optimum structural and mechanical performance.† (Fertis, xiii). In the case of a highway bridge, dynamic and vibration analysis that needs to be carried out requires knowledge of the basic properties of the materials and cables that are used to build the bridge. Such knowledge of material properties is then used in performing the static and dynamic analysis, in developing a bridge design that is safe as well as functional. The static and dynamic analysis will involve calculations to determine both static and dynamic deformations of the bridge, together with its frequencies of vibration. This will also involve conclusions to be drawn on how long the bridge span should be in order to ensure that its rigidity is maintained in a safe design. Hence a knowledge worker working on the design and construction of the bridge in Robeling’s day would also have required a basic knowledge of statics, mechanics and structural mechanics. A knowledge worker would thus need to be acquainted with basic engineering concepts in designing of bridges. Communication in those days when the Brooklyn Bridge was first built centered around personal contact, hence these were restricted to light signals and Robelais passing on his communications through his wife. As a result, workers had to possess communication skills in interacting with members of their teams, most of whom were likely to have been drawn from the same local area of New York and largely comprising immigrants. But the kind of communication systems being used in the present day is also different from those existing during the time of Robelais. Knowledge workers may