  This note reviews previous analyses by the author of the damping produced by
the anelasticity of a simple flexure element that is loaded in tension by an
extended object such as a beam balance. The correct calculation of the
anelasticity of a simple flexure appeared in an appendix in Quinn et al (1995)
where the change in the gravitational potential energy due to the shortening of
the flexure was calculated enabling expressions for the elastic energy and its
associated losses to be derived. Publications prior to this paper did not
include this lossless term which led to incorrect predictions of the anelastic
losses in flexure pivots in Quinn et al (1987). In this current paper the
derivation of the result is given in such a way that it can be easily
contrasted with the expressions in these earlier papers. I also extend the
methodology to calculate the elastic and gravitational energy associated with
the motion of a suspended object whose dimensions are significantly smaller
than the length of the flexure.
