Did you know? The Eiffel Tower is not the same height all year round — in summer it grows!
▶ Watch the clip EP.4 — YouTube
Iron expands in the heat
The Eiffel Tower stands about 330 metres tall. Completed in 1889, it is built from 18,038 iron parts held together by about 2.5 million rivets. Iron expands when it warms and contracts when it cools — so on a hot day the tower can grow several centimetres.
The top follows the Sun
The sunny side expands more than the shaded side, so the top leans slightly away from the Sun and traces a small loop of about 15 cm over the day.
Engineering that planned for it
Gustave Eiffel and his team designed an open lattice of iron that resists the wind and can absorb thermal expansion without damage.
Summary
- About 330 m tall — completed 1889
- 18,038 parts · 2.5 million rivets
- Heat makes it several centimetres taller
- The top moves in a ~15 cm loop with the Sun
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📚 Sources: toureiffel.paris · Britannica
