A question for the mathematicians

[MacEntyre]

You can illustrate the effect that Brian explained. Suspend your hammock loose, so that the ridgeline lays in the bottom of the hammock with no load at all. Then, tighten the hammock suspension slowly. You will slowly lift the ridgeline from the hammock, as it becomes loaded. The more you tighten the hammock, the more load the ridgeline will take on.

[harrell79cj5]

Under load it should be be "not-slack", but there's no advantage to it being really tight

.[/QUOTE]

Except that it makes a good bass guitar string when it's tight!