The flow of lateral loads through a building is somewhat ambiguous.  These animations show how a building uses its floor diaphragms and its braces to take a load to the ground.

Why Use Lateral Bracing?

Windows Media Player (.avi) / Quick Time Player (.mpg)

a fun illustration of what happens when there is no lateral bracing

 

 

Lateral Load Through One Floor

Windows Media Player (.avi) / Quick Time Player (.mpg)

shows a lateral load as it moves through a single floor

 

 

Lateral Load Through a Building

Windows Media Player (.avi) / Quick Time Player (.mpg)

shows the lateral loads moving through the building and into the ground