Resumen de Steady-State Velocity of a Chain Falling from the Edge of a Table

Juan Rodriguez, Becky Tang, Marcos Martín, Adrin Irias, Amani Adel, Sebastian Zaldivar, Abel A. Carvajal, Camila Gallardo, Wojciech J. Walecki

• We investigated a very long chain falling from the pile on the edge of a table to the floor both experimentally and theoretically. In this very simple and novel configuration we showed that the velocity of the chain quickly converges to its asymptotic value, and that the steady-state velocity is proportional to the square root of the height of the table. The results are general and do not depend on the type of chain. We explained our measurements using simple dimensional analysis and Newton’s second law. The measurements do not require any special instrumentation other than a stopwatch, a desk, and a chain. This experiment can be performed in any classroom.