Two Falling Balls in Channels; a Swaying Carried Beam
A problem of equal-shape balls of unequal weight meeting, and how a swaying load shifts weight onto its bearers
Two mechanics problems fill the page. The first, sketched as a V of two converging channels with balls at the top and a knot where they meet, asks how far apart two balls of the same shape but one twice the weight must start so that, falling through the channels, they meet at the end. The second, with a beam drawn on trestle supports below, considers a beam labelled m n carried by men and shows how its swaying forward, back or sideways adds or removes weight felt by the carriers.
On this page
Two unequal balls falling through converging channels
Two balls of the same material and shape, but one double the other in weight, are dropped through two channels arranged so that the balls meet at the channels' end. The problem asks how far each must be from the meeting point at the start of its fall.
A swaying beam m n and the weight felt by its carriers
If the beam m n is borne by four men at its ends, its swaying backward and forward gives or takes weight from those behind or in front, and swaying sideways adds weight to one side or the other. Likewise when two men carry a beam by two ropes tied at its end, the swaying of the load increases and lessens its heaviness upon the bearers.