eli5: how does it work that for every pound of weight you lose, there is a 4 pound stress reduction in your knees?

Question

eli5: how does it work that for every pound of weight you lose, there is a 4 pound stress reduction in your knees?

In: 1542

Answer 1

A really good analogy for how weight on a lever works, from one of my favourite movies.

Pick up something really light. Say, your phone. Hold it out at arm’s length. Hold it perfectly still and see how long you can hold it.

Weight applied to one end of an object applies more pressure on the other end.