where g is the acceleration of gravity, and the w i {\displaystyle w_{i}} are the weights of each segment, and the y i {\displaystyle y_{i}} are the static deflections (under gravitational loading only) of the center of each segment. Generally speaking, if n is 2 or higher, this method tends to slightly overestimate the first natural frequency, with the estimate becoming better the higher n is. If n is only 1, this method tends to underestimate the first natural frequency, but the equation simplifies to: