An off-center weight on the plate exerts a downward force and a torque on the vertical column supporting the plate. The downward force is carried by the bearing at the top beam in most balance scales, the lower beam just being supported horizontally at midpoint by the body of the scales by a simple peg-in-slot arrangement, so it effectively hangs beneath the top beam and stops the platforms from rotating. The torque on the column is taken by a pair of equal and opposite forces in the horizontal beams. If the offset weight sits toward the outside of the platform, further from the centre of the scales, the top beam will be in tension and the bottom beam will be in compression. These tensions and compressions are carried by horizontal reactions from the central supports; the other side of the scales is not affected at all, nor is the balance of the scales.