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Places to See: Scotland's Falkirk Waterway Connector

Raw unapologetic engineering is a thing of beauty – especially when it works. Case in point, Scotland’s Falkirk wheel is an innovative solution connecting two water ways separated by approximately 26 yards vertically. Acting like an elevator for boats, the wheel-like canal lowers and raises boats from one river to the next. As reported by SwipeLife, “The wheel operates on Archimedes’ Principle, which states that a floating object will always displace its weight in water. The two containers at either end of the wheel are kept in balance until a vessel is loaded. Once it is loaded and balanced, operators discharge enough water from the lower container to allow the heavier upper container to swing down under the force of gravity.” Awesome! Click Read More for additional information and sequential photos of the Falkirk at work.