Three cords sharing a beam's weight in equal parts
Three suspended-beam diagrams with fractional load labels
Three horizontal beams are drawn one above another, each hung by cords and labelled with weights and fractions, the lowest showing three equal cords marked with bowed sag-lines beneath. The note concludes that when the two outer cords sit at the ends of the rod and a third at its centre, the three cords divide the sustained weight into equal parts. It presents this as following from the two arguments given on the preceding pages.
On this page
Two end cords and a centre cord divide the load equally
The two arguments established earlier show that three cords divide the weight they sustain into equal parts, provided the two cords are at the extremities of the rod and the third at its centre. The stacked diagrams display the numerical shares for each case.
Fractional shares on each beam
Each of the three beams carries numerical labels and fractions apportioning its load between the supporting cords. The uppermost beams show unequal fractional shares, while the lowest reduces to three equal parts.