How to calculate the height required to pivot an object vertically

jaggiebunnet

ok i know there is a dead simple equation for this but i am fecked if i can remember or find it:

I have an 8 foot ceiling and a (roughly) 7.5 foot sofa that I need to pivot vertically. It doesn't. So my question is how do you calculate the space required for an object (in this case a sofa) to pivot fully vertically?

Hope that makes sense - cheers.

3DataModem

Depends on length of sofa on shortest side (usually top to bottom).

Length squared plus short side squared should be equal or less than ceiling height squared.

jaggiebunnet

really?

so for sake of argument 8foot sofa by 3 foot height would be

8sq + 3sq = height required?

64 + 9 = 73 foot?

or is it 73foot sq in otherwards around 8.5 foot? that sounds about right.

bnt

jaggiebunnet wrote: »

or is it 73foot sq in otherwards around 8.5 foot? that sounds about right.

That's it - using the Pythagoras formula. To put it another way: if the long and short sides of the sofa form a rectangle, then the radius of the sofa while pivoting is the diagonal of that rectangle, which is significantly longer than the long side.

jaggiebunnet

brilliant - thanks guys - i knew i should know this, that guy Pythagoras knew his couches alright