The larger length, even if it’s at a near vertical acute angle, is likely to tumble if it breaks–which means the whole reason we’re interested in its measurement is a situation where the angle is no longer fixed
The radius of a circle is a fixed distance from its origin at every angle.It’s still the same number of milimeters distal of the trunk from the pivot point.
The concern regarding clearance would be horizontal, parallel to the surface of the Earth, roughly perpendicular to the trunk, so perpendicular distance from the trunk would be what matters. If the branch were fifty miles long but only went straight up, there would be zero horizontal clearance.
But then you’d need to know the angle, too.
The larger length, even if it’s at a near vertical acute angle, is likely to tumble if it breaks–which means the whole reason we’re interested in its measurement is a situation where the angle is no longer fixed
Then you’d still be interested in the length at 45 degrees, the farthest possible distance.
The radius of a circle is a fixed distance from its origin at every angle.It’s still the same number of milimeters distal of the trunk from the pivot point.
The concern regarding clearance would be horizontal, parallel to the surface of the Earth, roughly perpendicular to the trunk, so perpendicular distance from the trunk would be what matters. If the branch were fifty miles long but only went straight up, there would be zero horizontal clearance.
you will find that if the branch snaps from the trunk, its perpendicular distance will be exactly the same number of milimeters.