No. 168 · Work · Physics
Resonant Frequency
Small pushes in the right rhythm can build into enormous effects.
In the Almanac
“Broughton Suspension Bridge”, 1831 · “The Millennium Bridge”, 2000
Both stories in full, three ways to use it and where it misleads.
Get the AlmanacQuestions
What is Resonant Frequency?
Every object has a natural frequency at which it vibrates most strongly. Push it in rhythm with that frequency and each push adds to the last, which is why marching soldiers once brought down a bridge. As a mental model, resonance shows that timing and rhythm can matter more than raw force.
How do you use Resonant Frequency?
To use it, time your requests to the natural cycles of your team, and learn with spaced repetition that matches how memory fades. In heated arguments, break step deliberately so reactions stop amplifying. Resonance is hard to predict, so test, observe and dampen early.
When does Resonant Frequency matter?
Resonant Frequency is one of the 43 mental models for work, the situations where you ask: How do I get the right things done? Within that, it belongs to “Building skill”, alongside Comparative Advantage, Deliberate Practice and Divergent Thinking vs Convergent Thinking.
What is an example of Resonant Frequency?
Two stories show it at work: Broughton Suspension Bridge (1831) and The Millennium Bridge (2000). Both are told in full in The Mental Models Daily Almanac, which has two stories for each of its 365 models.
Which mental models are related to Resonant Frequency?
Feedback Loops, Spacing Effect and Bandwagon Effect. Resonant Frequency itself comes from physics.