CATENARY CHAIN

Drag the endpoints. The catenary y = a·cosh(x/a) minimizes potential energy.
Compare with a parabola of equal depth.

CHAIN LENGTH

SHOW

TENSION

PARAMETER a

—

SAG DEPTH

—

SPAN

—

TENSION AT CENTER

—

Catenary: y = a·cosh(x/a) − a | Arc length: L = 2a·sinh(W/2a)
Tension at angle θ: T(s) = T₀ + λgs | Gateway Arch: catenary y = A·cosh(Bx) with A=68.8m, B=1/38.2