ABSTRACT
When loads or displacements are applied very slowly to a structure, inertia forces, which are equal to the mass times the acceleration, are negligible and may be disregarded in the equation of force equilibrium. This corresponds to what is normally referred to as the static response of the structure. By contrast, if the loads or displacements are applied quickly, the inertia forces may not be disregarded in the equilibrium equation and the structure responds dynamically to those excitations.
