Capstans (Full Strength?)

[Macavity]

OK, a slightly clickbait title. But intriguing things... Capstans? 😎
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capstan_equation
A baby could (theoretically) "hold the USS Nimitz" apparently! 

As a hobby guitarist, I was interested to actually READ that you
don't NEED to wind more than a few turns of a string around an
electric guitar's tuning (machine) heads, to stop strings slipping.



Be careful not to overlap strings. Capstans are self-centering etc.
But such ideas are probably familiar to Sailors, Climbers etc. 😛

P.S. I suppose many of us have thought about using an (obsy) rope
to help lift Scopes onto Mounts, but it's usually "easier" NOT to. 😏
 

Edited January 23, 2023 by Macavity

[globular]

I imagine the baby's hand would struggle to span the cable needed to withstand the forces exerted - although yes, probably strong enough to hold on if she could get a grip.

Maybe another thinner cable, attached to the first after the capstan and then going around a second capstan, would make it easier for the baby? 

You'd need to keep social services well clear too.......

[Macavity]

12 hours ago, globular said:

You'd need to keep social services well clear too.......

Ah, SGL! lol. I had anticipated everything... That Sailors would tell me ropes were "sheets" etc. 😁
P.S. I HATED "Applied Maths", but sometimes the "small things" still intrigue...

Edited January 24, 2023 by Macavity

[Oldfort]

Strangely, this featured in physics.stackexchange.com today.

I did this equation for A level applied maths in the 70s, but I don't think it's inluded nowadays , which is a shame as it's an interesting result.