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It's not exactly more legs -> less chance of falling, but rather it is larger footprint -> less chance of falling. The footprint is basically the shape made by
by creatornator 8y ago
It's not exactly more legs -> less chance of falling, but rather it is larger footprint -> less chance of falling. The footprint is basically the shape made by the outermost points of contact. If the net force vector (generally just project center of mass in direction of gravity) goes outside the footprint, the system is unstable. You could absolutely have a chair with more legs be less stable than one with fewer legs, if the footprint is smaller.
- godelski 8y agoYou are correct, but I assumed that when people are creating their mental model that they envision regular polyhedra. Especially given the context. I felt that the distinction might make things more convoluted and I could leverage the likely mental model to my benefit. But you are technically correct.