breadandbits
breadandbits t1_irqexr6 wrote
I think the limiting factor is kindof as much a practical one as it is a material one. A relatively tiny pump will take an impractical amount of time to do a job, because there will be an operational speed limit for the pump.
In practice, when houses are lifted with hydraulics, it is with many small cylinders because the load map underneath a house is not uniform.
breadandbits t1_irqh1yf wrote
Reply to comment by _mick_s in Why do strings and headphone cables spontaneously wrap around each other when placed in proximity? by sfsolarboy
I think this is correct. It would be dangerous for this to occur with climbing ropes, so they are made with equal spirals in opposite directions so that stretching does not impart twist. It can be referred to as being torque balanced. Stranded electrical wire is generally twisted in the same direction, so every time you and/or gravity pulls on it, it twists. You’ll notice that your headphones always twist in the same direction.