A tight rope walker is able to maintain balance, based on the location of the center of mass above the rope. Stability is improved by the tight rope walker carrying a long pole. The principle behind this concept is in the idea that; with the long pole being flexible the walker can easily swing in either side to maintain a balance. The longer the pole the lower the rate of angular rotation, this therefore allows the walker to re-adjust to balancing state when he begins to lose balance. Contrary to the case of short pole or just bear arms (Temple 3).
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The introduction of the concept of heavy items attached on both ends of the pole, further improves on the stability of the walker. This in addition to a long pole lowering rate of angular rotation, the heavy items on the pole introduces another concept of moment of inertia. This further improves stability of the ropewalker (Fowler Para. 3). This concept works in that when the walker tries to loose balance and tends to bend towards one side; since it is a sudden change or tilt, heavier items due to the moment of inertia will try to maintain their state before the sudden tilt; this will counter the effect that might have resulted from the action of sudden tilt in one direction which might have resulted in the walker loosing balance. The heavy items include the concept of moment of inertia which in the case of simple pole is lower (Acquisto Para. 2).
Conclusively a tightrope walker with heavy items attached to the pole has better stability than one simply carrying pole.
I very much agree with the colleague’s discussion. Like I have discussed above, the longer the pole lowers the rate of angular rotation and this allows for more time for the walker to adjust his center of gravity to maintain balance. The heavy items attached also help to lower the center of gravity in addition, it increases the moment of inertia like he says the moment of inertia counteracts to any torque introduced. This helps to improve stability and allows the walker to adjust his center of gravity to directly above the wire to have balance.
Works cited:
Acquisto, Leo D. Anatomical Kinesiology. Conditions Of Rotary Motion. N.d.
Experiment 2: Balancing of Rotating Masses. Dynamics and orbital mechanics. P 1-4.
Fowler, Michael. Rotational Motion. N.d. Accessed < http://galileo.phys.virginia.edu/classes/581/RotationalMotion.html>
Temple, Darrell. Field Balancing Large Rotating Machinery. 1983. Facilities Instructions, Standards, & Techniques Vol 2-2: 1-21.
