You are rigging a stage over the ship's side to serve as a working platform. For stability of the stage, the downhaul to one end of the stage and the downhaul to the other end, which are used for lowering the stage, should be led in which direction?
• Stability of a suspended platform when weight is applied near one side or the other • Direction of forces on the stage created by the downhaul lines when lowering or raising • How symmetry vs. opposing pulls affects twisting or tipping of the stage
• Imagine a person walking from inboard to outboard on the stage: how do you want the lines to pull so the stage does NOT twist or tip? • If both lines pull in the same general direction, what happens to the stage? If they pull in opposite directions, what effect does that have? • Think about looking down from above: which arrangement of downhauls best resists rotation of the stage?
• Visualize the top-down view of the stage and arrows for each downhaul’s pull direction • Decide which option makes the resultant forces balanced so the stage neither twists nor moves sideways when lowered • Eliminate any choice where both lines might encourage the stage to turn or roll instead of staying flat and stable
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