Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2025
DOI
10.1119/5.0232303
Publication Title
The Physics Teacher
Volume
63
Issue
5
Pages
A396
Abstract
The article discusses a low bridge in Keswick, England, near the River Greta, with an arch shaped like a semiellipse. It presents Fermi questions related to the bridge's dimensions, such as the maximum distance a person of a certain height can walk under it without hitting their head. The solutions involve mathematical calculations and approximations, including the use of formulas provided by the Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.
Rights
© Copyright 2026 AIP Publishing LLC
This content may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the publisher. This material originally appeared in
Adam, J. (2025). A bridge too low: Solutions for Fermi questions, May 2025. Physics Teacher, 63(5), A396.
and may be found at https://doi.org/10.1119/5.0232303.
Original Publication Citation
Adam, J. (2025). A bridge too low: Solutions for Fermi questions, May 2025. The Physics Teacher, 63(5), A396. https://doi.org/10.1119/5.0232303
ORCID
0000-0001-5537-2889 (Adam)
Repository Citation
Adam, John, "A Bridge Too Low: Solutions for Fermi Questions, May 2025" (2025). Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications. 326.
https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/mathstat_fac_pubs/326