• Black Catenary physics hoodie, pixel-art hanging chain / flexible cable under gravity design, worn by a model, front close-up
  • Black Catenary physics hoodie, pixel-art hanging chain / flexible cable under gravity design, worn by a model, back close-up
  • Black Catenary physics hoodie, pixel-art hanging chain / flexible cable under gravity design, front view
  • Black Catenary physics hoodie, pixel-art hanging chain / flexible cable under gravity design, back view
  • Black Catenary physics hoodie, pixel-art hanging chain / flexible cable under gravity design, turning on a model
  • Black Catenary physics hoodie, ΨP Pixelated Physics neck label
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Catenary HoodieTHE CHAIN FINDS THIS CURVE | Pixelated PhysicsHoodie

Catenary Hoodie – THE CHAIN FINDS THIS CURVE | Pixelated Physics

$54.99 USD
$54.99 USD
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Shipping calculated at checkout. Free US shipping · $10 flat shipping outside the US.
Color
Black
Size
S–5XL
Made
To order · shipping times

What shape does a hanging chain make? Not a parabola, though it looks close. A uniform flexible chain settles into the catenary, y = a cosh(x/a), the shape with the least potential energy for its length. Jakob Bernoulli posed the problem in 1690, and Huygens, Leibniz and Johann Bernoulli solved it in 1691. Black pixel-art hoodie; equation, symbols and sources in the physics panel below.

Color
Size

Size guideS–5XL · inches

Free US shipping$10 flat shipping outside the USMade to order, ships in 2–5 business days

Details

Size & fitS–5XL

Unisex Heavy Blend hoodie (Gildan 18500), classic fit.

SizeWidthLengthSleeve
S202733.5
M222834.5
L242935.5
XL263036.5
2XL283137.5
3XL303238.5
4XL323339.5
5XL343440.5

Measurements in inches. Width and length ±1 in, sleeve (from center back) ±0.75 in.

ShippingFree US

Free US shipping. $10 flat shipping outside the US.

Delivery times & where we ship

Returns & replacements21 days

Every item is printed to order, so we can’t accept returns or exchanges for change of mind, or if you ordered the wrong size or colour.

Print defect, misprint, damage or the wrong item? We’ll send a free replacement, or a refund if you prefer. Report it within 21 days of delivery with a photo; no need to send it back.

Full refund & replacement policy

The physics

A uniform flexible chain hangs under gravity between two supports. What shape does it take?

Not a parabola. The shape that minimises potential energy for a given length is the catenary y = a cosh(x/a). Local tension satisfies T = μ g y.

A parabola through the same apex and endpoints is close — the largest gap is about 8.7 px, roughly 8.7 % of the 99.9 px sag — but the Euler–Lagrange identity y/√(1+y′²) = a holds only for the cosh.

On the front, the filled arch is the catenary; the thin magenta ghost is the matched parabola for contrast.

Jakob Bernoulli posed the problem in 1690; Huygens, Leibniz and Johann Bernoulli published the cosh solution in 1691.

Equations

\[y = a\cosh(x/a)\]
\[T = \mu g y,\qquad V = \mu g\int y\,ds\]
SymbolMeaningUnit
\(y\) height of the cable above the directrix \(\mathrm{m}\)
\(x\) horizontal distance from the vertex \(\mathrm{m}\)
\(a = T_0/(\mu g)\) shape parameter (horizontal tension over weight per length) \(\mathrm{m}\)
\(T\) local tension \(\mathrm{N}\)
\(\mu\) mass per unit length \(\mathrm{kg/m}\)
\(g\) gravitational acceleration \(\mathrm{m/s^2}\)
\(V\) gravitational potential energy of the cable \(\mathrm{J}\)

Sources

  1. Bernoulli, Leibniz, Huygens (1691) solutions to the hanging-chain problem posed by Jakob Bernoulli
  2. Halliday, Resnick & Walker, Fundamentals of Physics (catenary / hanging cable notes in continuum mechanics supplements)
  3. Taylor, Classical Mechanics (2005), variational problems and the catenary
  4. Weisstein, Catenary, MathWorld
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