How the angle of the perpendicular loads a support
Statics of struts and cords; a weight shared among tie-angles
A run of propositions each headed 'Weight' analyses how a load distributes among supports of different lengths and inclinations, tying the burden to the acute, obtuse, or right angles the weight's perpendicular makes with the sides of its supports. It concludes that a weight hung in the angle of a cord gives equal load to each end, and that the support forming the larger angle bears more. Cord and strut diagrams hung with weights illustrate the rules.
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Equal burden when the angles are equal
Although the upper or lower supports differ in length, each part and the whole of each is equally burdened provided the perpendicular of the weight makes equal acute or obtuse angles with the sides of those supports. Length matters less than the angle the load makes with the struts.
A weight nearer its support gives more
When the perpendicular of the weight falls between right angles made with the sides of its supports, the weight gives of itself the more force the closer it lies to what sustains it. Proximity to the support increases the effective load.
Equal load to each end of the cord
A weight that rests in the angle of a cord gives an equal load to each end, even when it hangs nearer one end than the other. The two arms of the cord share the burden equally regardless of the weight's position along it.
The larger angle bears the greater load
Among supports that make angles of different sizes with the perpendicular of the weight, the one that is the side of the larger angle is more heavily burdened. The wider the angle, the greater the load carried by that strut.