floating table on chains?

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[this](https://vm.tiktok.com/TbGE8f/) floating table thing is making me frustrated because the reason why exactly it does that gives me the tip of the tongue feeling. I feel like I almost know how it works but can’t quite get there yet.

In: Physics

2 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

It’s called [Tensegrity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tensegrity). The table is held up by the center chain, and is kept upright by the outer chains.

Anonymous 0 Comments

The phenomenon is called “tensegrity.”

Basically, it’s an object held up by its own stress. The three outer chains prevent the upper piece from moving any further upward, while the middle chain prevents the upper piece from moving any further downward. The chains are all sized just so that the upper piece is suspended.