This is a really basic and probably stupid question to you engineer types, but why are the sides of bridge hammocks given catenary cuts? I don't mean the engineering reasons, just the practical results reasons. I'm assuming that without the cat cut the hammock doesn't lay flat, but how does it not lay flat?
I thought I read somewhere that without the curved sides the hammock will tend to bow up in the middle. (Seems counter-intuitive to me, so I wonder if I am misremembering it.) But if that were the case I would think you could counter it with a ridgeline.
Thanks!
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