A cantilever beam experiences a deflection of 8 units when subjected to a load W. If the beam's width is reduced to half its original size, what will be the new deflection under the same load W?

Explanation

When the width of a cantilever beam is halved, its moment of inertia decreases significantly, causing the deflection to increase. Since deflection is inversely proportional to the moment of inertia and the moment of inertia depends on the width cubed, halving the width increases deflection by a factor of 6 (2^3 = 8). Therefore, the deflection changes from 8 to 48 under the same load.