engineering

Wilkeson Arch

Wilkeson Arch is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Wilkeson Arch rather than just read about it. In short: Wilkeson Arch is a monumental gateway structure at the west entrance to Wilkeson, Washington. The stone and timber structure was built in 1925 by the Wilkeson Booster Club, at a cost of $2000.

Key takeaways

Wilkeson Arch belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Wilkeson Arch to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Wilkeson Arch from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Wilkeson Arch is a monumental gateway structure at the west entrance to Wilkeson, Washington. The stone and timber structure was built in 1925 by the Wilkeson Booster Club, at a cost of $2000. It is similar in design to the Chinook Pass, Nisqually and White River entrance arches in nearby Mount Rainier National Park, deriving its style from the National Park Service Rustic style prevailing in the national park structures of the time. The arch was intended to promote tourism and the local products, coal and sandstone.

Description The Wilkeson Arch is located on Washington State Route 165, standing across the road. The arch comprises two squared pillars of local sandstone with simple stone bases and capitals, topped by log cribbing supporting a single fir (originally cedar) log spanning the road between the pillars. The lintel supports a sign that from the entrance side reads "WILKESON COAL MINES - WILKESON SANDSTONE" and "GATEWAY TO THE CARBON GLACIER." The exit side of the sign reads "TACOMA 30 MILES - SEATTLE 50 MILES and "REMEMBER WILKESON." The pillars are 6 feet (1.8 m) square and 25 feet (7.6 m) tall.

History The arch was originally located on Route 165 at Brierhill Boulevard, but was damaged during the February 28, 2001 Nisqually earthquake. The structure, rebuilt in 2004 and dedicated in 2009, is now located on 165 near Hill Street, several blocks to the south, in a move that provoked local controversy. Its span has been widened by two feet. The Wilkeson Arch was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 10, 2000.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Wilkeson Arch

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Wilkeson Arch claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Wilkeson Arch before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Wilkeson Arch ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Wilkeson Arch

In research: Wilkeson Arch appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Wilkeson Arch in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Wilkeson Arch is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Buildings and structures completed in 1925, Buildings and structures in Pierce County, Washington, Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state), so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Wilkeson Arch outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Wilkeson Arch in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Wilkeson Arch means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Wilkeson Arch out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Wilkeson Arch in simple terms?

Wilkeson Arch is a monumental gateway structure at the west entrance to Wilkeson, Washington. The stone and timber structure was built in 1925 by the Wilkeson Booster Club, at a cost of $2000.

Why does Wilkeson Arch matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Wilkeson Arch?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Wilkeson Arch.