Scaling Up: The Two-Zeroes Challenge
2025-03-01
This article explores the impact of scale on system design. Using bridges as an example, it illustrates the dramatic changes in materials, technology, and engineering management needed to build bridges from 1 meter to 10,000 meters. Each increase of two orders of magnitude (e.g., from 10 to 1,000) necessitates a complete rethinking of the process, requiring the abandonment of prior experience to meet new challenges. This highlights the principle of quantitative change leading to qualitative change, applicable to any field.