Hensley Arrow: How does it REALLY work?
There have been several discussions on this hitch that have become somewhat 'controversial'. I am NOT trying to stir this controversy/bashing back up. Instead, I'd like to see a good, intelligent di...
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Tkluxon,
How it works is a function of all of its parts working together. That is what a free body diagram seeks to explain. Adding in vectors that are canceling each other out, or vectors that exist only under certain conditions, does not increase my understanding of what is actually going on there, and that is what we wanted to investigate in this thread.
I will also submit that playing with the real thing is a superior method of investigation than playing with popsicle sticks.
A good explanation has to make sense to the person that it is presented to, has to explain that which is easily and directly observable, and it has to apply to what is being explained under real world conditions.
I do not think that we have arrived at that point yet, although your previous explanation and diagram certainly made great progress in that direction.
I made a living as an electrical engineer in the area of computer controlled processing equipment and actuators. An understanding of mechanical principles was certainly part of that activity, and my training. I have also written over a hundred technical manuals on items ranging from large walking draglines to EKG machines, and put together several training programs on those and other devices and machines.
While the math is admittedly beyond me, baffling me with BS is impossible. :B
How it works is a function of all of its parts working together. That is what a free body diagram seeks to explain. Adding in vectors that are canceling each other out, or vectors that exist only under certain conditions, does not increase my understanding of what is actually going on there, and that is what we wanted to investigate in this thread.
I will also submit that playing with the real thing is a superior method of investigation than playing with popsicle sticks.
A good explanation has to make sense to the person that it is presented to, has to explain that which is easily and directly observable, and it has to apply to what is being explained under real world conditions.
I do not think that we have arrived at that point yet, although your previous explanation and diagram certainly made great progress in that direction.
I made a living as an electrical engineer in the area of computer controlled processing equipment and actuators. An understanding of mechanical principles was certainly part of that activity, and my training. I have also written over a hundred technical manuals on items ranging from large walking draglines to EKG machines, and put together several training programs on those and other devices and machines.
While the math is admittedly beyond me, baffling me with BS is impossible. :B
