In article ,
"AndyMorris" wrote:

The whole point of language in this discussion is to describe the
situation in a way that conveys the best understanding of the
situation in the listener.

Excellent! Much more elegantly put than my efforts at explaining my
use of the word "stands."

To say that a hub hangs from the top spokes suggests that the top
spokes undergo more strain than the bottom ones, this is untrue.

To say that a hub stands on the bottom spokes suggests that the
bottom spokes undergo more strain than the bottom ones, this is
true.

Not quite true, as the tension on those spokes is *reduced* when
loaded the wheel is loaded. It would be more accurate to say that the
tension of the spoke sat the top is unaffected by the load, whereas
the tension of the spokes below the hub is affected.

The words 'hangs' and 'stands' are very old and originated before
the existence of prestressed structure's. Our understanding of
prestressed structure means that we have to have a more subtle
definition of those terms.

Some people cannot tolerate a language adapting to new shades of
meaning.