Stiffening a structure with a brace,generally changes its buckling loads. Bracing to a given load with a brace of known geometry leads to a simple eigenvalue problem, but if the geometric connections are left open, an investigation of the possibilities leads to a description in Minkowski space-the same as is used in interpreting the special theory of relativity. Despite clear differences, the two problems have surprising parallels. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. [References: 5]
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