Would a knot in a falling chain make a difference?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the dynamics of a falling chain with a knot, specifically addressing two key questions: the behavior of the chain upon impact with a table and the effect of the knot on the chain's descent. It is established that when the knot hits the table, the chain will fall to one side rather than continuing straight down. Additionally, the mass and area of the knot will influence the chain's impact, potentially slowing its descent if the force exerted by the falling chain exceeds the table's resistance.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of basic physics concepts, particularly forces and motion.
  • Familiarity with the principles of free fall and gravitational acceleration.
  • Knowledge of how mass and area affect impact forces.
  • Basic comprehension of chain dynamics and link interactions.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the physics of free fall and how it applies to non-linear objects.
  • Study the impact forces involved in collisions, particularly with knotted or irregular shapes.
  • Explore the concept of tension in chains and how it affects motion and impact.
  • Investigate real-world applications of chain dynamics in engineering and physics problems.
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for physics students, educators, and anyone interested in understanding the mechanics of falling objects, particularly in relation to chains and knots.

Mins
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While I was looking up about free falling chain problem(the question about a chain falling on to a table), I wondered how it would be if the chain is knotted. What I'm thinking is that if the chain has a knot, would it make much difference?

Two questions;

1) Once the knot hits the table, would it fall to one side or would it just keep falling in a straight line? (in real life)

2) Wouldn't the knot's area and mass be too big that the force from hitting the table would slow the chain down, when the knot hits the table?

I'm not that advanced in physics so it would be helpful if you can tell me everything that could change:smile:
 
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Can you provide some more information about the problem you're looking at, and what exactly you're wondering will happen... I'm not following you so far.
 
When the knot hits the table, it's going to fall to one side. Now it's going to fall straight down until it hits the table. In fact, the chain is going to retain the same shape it initially had when you let go of it. Do you understand what I mean? Every link in the chain will fall at the same speed, so that means no two links will hit the table at the same time.

The only way the table isn't going to stop the chain is if the force of the chain falling is greater than the resistance of the table.
 

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