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TEST KEEP CLOSED

THERMAL PROPERTIES OF MATTER

Thermal Expansion

Thermal Conductivity

Catenary: Bi-Stable Equilibrium

A beaded chain over two low friction pulleys is used to illustrate a problem in physical mechanics at the advanced undergraduate or graduate level. When the separation between the pulleys is less than a critical value which depends upon the height of the pulleys, there are two stable solutions. But beyond the critical separation, the vertical portions of the chain cannot support the weight of the catenary, and the only stable solution is the collapsed configuration.

Catenary: Bi-Stable Equilibrium