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It's a problem as old as civilization: the wobbly table. You may have thought your only recourse against this scourge is a hastily folded cocktail napkin stuffed under the offending leg. If so, take heart, because mathematicians have recently proved a more elegant solution. Just rotate the table.
Turning a Wobbly Table Will Make It Steady
Seeded on Mon Feb 18, 2008 4:34 AM EST
Article Source: Sciam- Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.
- Public Discussion (5)
Yeah... not so much. I tried this with a table a few months ago and nothing worked. No amount of turning ever made it not-wobbly.
#2 - Mon Feb 18, 2008 10:36 AM ESTWell, it's got lots of math behind it, so it must be true! :-)
- 1 vote
#3 - Mon Feb 18, 2008 10:48 AM ESTI don't think mathematicians get the difference between an ideal world and reality.
- 1 vote
#4 - Mon Feb 18, 2008 2:58 PM ESTThis is an application of the intermediate value theorem (a simple theorem essential to calculus and other fields), but it relies on an assumption that all of the legs of the table are the same length. A table that fits this criterion will wobble if the ground is uneven. When this is the case, rotating the table will eventually lead to a placement where all four legs are touching the ground. This does not mean, however, that the table will be level.
Notice that this does nothing to solve your problem if the table is on a flat surface with uneven legs. A more practical solution is to use tables with individually adjustable leg lengths, allowing for a level and stable table surface on any realistic floor geometry.
- 1 vote
#5 - Tue Feb 19, 2008 2:38 AM ESTYou're in Easy Mode. If you prefer, you can use XHTML Mode instead. |
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