Amid FRIENDS reunion on our minds, we can’t help but reminisce the legendary Ross Geller and his equally ‘pivoting’ moment of getting his sofa up to his apartment, without causing it any form of damage? In the episode, The One with the Cop, Ross (played by David Schwimmer) had purchased a new sofa but struggled to take it upstairs to his flat. He asked Rachel and Chandler to help him carry the couch upstairs. But the three of them were struggling to maneuver it around the narrow staircase. Ross repeatedly yells “Pivot” at his friends but could not make it to the flat. Much to their displeasure, they failed in the task and the sofa ended up being cut into two parts.
Flatshare site SpareRoom has used mathematics to inform that it was possible to take the sofa upstairs if the trio, along with Pivot would have also ensured that they tilted it.
After meticulously analysing the scene and roughly estimating the dimensions of the sofa and stairs, SpareRoom’s data science consultant said that by applying Pythagoras’ theorem on the estimated numbers, they were successful in finding a way out.
A detailed diagram posted by SpareRoom showcases how with the help of a formula, it was possible to take the sofa to its destination. The formula reads — Angle of vertical tilt (T) = 44.15064 -11.94274 x WS (Width of the Stairwell) + 8.69119 x WC (Width of the Couch) + 3.65961 x LC (Length of the Couch).
The post further has a step-by-step explanation of how Ross and his friends should have gone about it.
Step 1: At first, Ross should have measured the width and length of the sofa along with the width of the stairs of his apartment.
Step 2: He then should have used the above-stated equation to find out the minimum angle (T) at which the sofa needs to be tilted to pass by the 90-degree corner of the staircase.
Step 3: In the scene, a point comes when all three of them get stuck with the sofa and were not able to move. At this moment, they should have rested the sofa against the corner.
Step 4: Now, they should have tilted the couch vertically till the angle between stairs and the base of the sofa was equal or more than to (T). The vertical length of the sofa, in this position, would be smaller than the horizontal length. And they could have been able to successfully pivot the sofa round the corner.
Step 5: Once they would have surpassed the corner, they should have brought it back to its original orientation and then could have carried it up to the flat.
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