Elon Musk Thinks This Table is in 'Tension'. Netizens Try to Figure out How It Works

A picture of a unique table shared on Twitter has caught the attention of netizens, including SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who has named it “Table in tension”. This is no ordinary table. It would take more than an average mind to understand the mechanics behind the table. The table is not supported by four legs as usually happens, but by a complex network of chains that pull in different directions to keep it stable on the surface.

The picture was first shared by the Twitter handle University Curiosity on Wednesday. “Physics and science are awesome,” read the post. It has garnered over 1.6 lakh likes on Twitter and has been retweeted more than 16 thousand times.

The top comment was that from Elon Musk who wrote, “Table in Tension”. After his comment, the picture reached an even larger audience, owing to Musk’s own popularity.

Check out some of the top reactions by netizens:

One user shared a GIF showing a scene from the movie Hangover. Warning: Intense calculations ahead!

Another user wrote, “It’s giving me a headache trying to work it out.”

One user questioned the balance and stability of the table saying, “Everything's fine until someone pushes it,” to which another person replied, “You would be surprised how sturdy these can get. I have stood and danced on one before.”

One user explained the mechanism behind the table. “Structures like this are based on tensional integrity, also called tensegrity. They are awesome, you can watch them instead of aquarium,” said the user.

This user offered an almost incomprehensible explanation to the table’s balance. “The whole upper part of the table is suspended on the two chains marked with red. The chains marked with blue are just lateral stabilisers,” it said. The user made a vector diagram of the different forces involved in keeping the table upright. We leave it to our smarter readers to decode it.

For most people though, the reaction would be something like this.