Angles of Cords and the Weights a Beam Bears
The weights on two cords stand in the same ratio as the angles the cords make with the beam
The leaf gives a rule for a beam suspended by two cords. The proportion between the widths of the angles that the cords make with the beam, one to the other, equals the proportion between the weights each cord sustains, so that if the angle f t is half the size of the angle t v, the cord at the smaller angle bears the greater load. A figure of the suspended beam labeled p r, t f l, m n and q v b a accompanies the text, with fainter offset drawing showing through below.
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Weights proportional to the cord-and-beam angles
The width of the angle formed between each cord and the beam it holds is set proportional to the weight that cord sustains. Thus if the angle f t is half as large as the angle t v, the half-angle cord will sustain the greater weight. The lettered figure p r, t f l, m n, q v b a fixes the geometry of the suspended beam.