Knowing how to use bricks to reinforce the strength of a structure will not only give you an edge while using Lego products, but it could also help you wrap your brain around the complex structures throughout your Lego community.
Let's say you create a quaint miniature village and realize one building isn't very stable and it topples over. Upon picking it up, you realize it's still relatively intact. Should you scrap it?
Not necessarily. See if you can provide extra support through bracing, or adding additional pieces for support. For a structural engineer, trusses, columns and beams should do the trick, but connector pegs and axles will provide extra support for his Lego counterpart. Also, it's wise to ask yourself: Were you stacking mismatched pieces or were you building with the same types of bricks on top of one another? Using the same types of pieces for stacking is a good strategy to make structures more stable.
Geography and weather patterns influence how engineers create a structure. How can you test these conditions using Lego products?