double wishbones and double a arm suspensions

[KnifeEdge_2K1]

difference between double wishbones and double a arm suspension? as far as i know there isnt any except for the name
i know there are non parralel non equal length d/wishbones but arnt there teh same kind for double a arms? what about the placement of the coilover (spring damper wutever) on the bottom or top arm !?!?!?

anyways multilink suspensions .... i dont understand how they work
matra, really need ur help here, all i know is that they're similar to double wish bones but each side of the wishbone is an independent control arm so anything with 4 control arms or more is a multilink .... how does this benifit the ride/handlign other then the fact it allows more adjustability

[Matra et Alpine]

Never seen the term a-arm, having done a quick www search it looks just to be another American name for wishbone

The problem with wishbone suspensin is the top and bottom arm can ONLY pivot along a fixed centre line formed by the bearings in each of the pivots.

Different length wishbones and offset pivots allow suspension to alter camber and caster under movement - so anti-dive fronts.

In multi-link it's possible to have even MORE variable geometry, using additional arms affecting camber/caster as body roll, dive and lift all occur.
The downside is it becomes more dofficult to manufacture and setup.
The diffculty with multi-link is it's ofetn the case that one arm provides resistance to the movement of another arm under some conditions. These can cause escessive wear and stresses. So no ideal/perfect suspension exists (yet) as it adds weight and wear points to try to remove these conflicts.