¹⁸In an earlier chapter of this book, force- and motion-balance pneumatic mechanisms were likened to “tug-of-war” contestants versus ballroom dancers, respectively. Force-balance mechanisms pit force against force to achieve mechanical balance, like two teams competing in a tug-of-war where opposing forces are perfectly balanced and no motion takes place. Motion-balance mechanisms match one motion with another motion to achieve mechanical balance, like two ballroom dancers moving across a dance floor while maintaining a constant distance between each other. All valve positioner mechanisms require motion on the part of the valve stem, and so it is natural to assume all valve positioner mechanisms will be motion-balance because unlike a tug-of-war something is definitely moving. However, if we examine the simple force-balance positioner mechanism closely we will see that only the valve stem moves in this mechanism, while nothing else does. To apply the tug-of-war analogy to this application, it is as if one team of contestants pulls on a stiff rope while the other team pulls on an elastic rope, the two ropes tied together in a knot at the center. In order to achieve a perfect balance of forces so the knot won’t move to one side or the other, the team holding the elastic rope must stretch their rope further in order to balance an increased force from the team holding the stiff rope. The fact that one team is moving does not negate the fact that balance between the two teams is still a matter of force against force. To illustrate this point more vividly, we may ask the question: if the elastic rope is replaced by one that is even more elastic than before, will it advantage one team of contestants over the other? The answer to this question is no, as the two teams will still be equally matched if they were equally matched before. The only difference now is that the team holding the elastic rope will have to stretch the rope further than before to apply the same force as before. In a true motion-balance system, a greater motion imparted by one portion of the mechanism must be matched by a greater motion in the other portion of the mechanism.