Table

A table is a form of furniture with a flat horizontal upper surface used to support objects of interest, for storage, show, and/or manipulation. Some common types of table are the dining room table, which is used for seated persons to eat meals; the coffee table, which is a low table used in living rooms to display items or serve refreshments; and the bedside table, which is used to place an alarm clock and a lamp. Another common type of table is a desk, which is typically used to hold items that one would need to do work, such as papers, textbook, or computers. The surface must be held stable. For reasons of simplicity, this is usually done by support from below by either a column, a “base”, or at least three columnar “stands”. In special situations, table surfaces may be supported from a nearby wall, or suspended from above. Common design elements include: top surfaces of various shapes, including rectangular, rounded or semi-circular legs arranged in two or more similar pairs several geometries of folding table that can be collapsed into a smaller volume heights ranging up and down from the most common range, often reflecting the height of chairs or bar stools used as seating for people making use of a table, as for eating or performing various manipulations of objects resting on a table presence or absence of drawers expansion of the surface by insertion of leaves or locking hinged drop leaf sections into horizontal position. Desks are tables specifically intended for information-manipulation tasks, including writing and use of interactive electronics.