A thin flexible unifom chain of mass $m$ and lenght $L$ is suspended so that its lower end just touches a smooth inelastic plane inclined at $45^{\circ}$. When it is released, find:
(a) the force exerted by the chain on the plane at any subsequent instant and
(b) the total impulse on the plane while the chain falls.
Solution
(a) When the chain is released all its links are in free fall, so the chain remains vertical but without tension, After time $t$, the tip link has fallen a distance
$\frac{1}{2} g t^{2}$
Weight of chain on inclined plane $-\frac{m g}{L} \frac{1}{2} g t^{2}-\frac{m g^{2} l^{2}}{2 L}$
Normal force on the plane exerted due to weight, $N-\frac{m g^{2} f^{2}}{2 L} \cos 45^{\circ}-\frac{m g^{2} t^{2}}{2 \sqrt{2} L}$
In addition to weight the impulsive foree duc to change in momentum also acts. During a smail interval of time $\Lambda t$, a length $g t N$ of mass $\frac{m g t \Delta t}{L}$ has the component of its velocity perpendicular to the plane reduced from $\frac{g t}{\sqrt{2}}$ to zero. We have
$F \cdot \Delta i-\frac{m g t \Delta t}{L}\left(0-\frac{g t}{\sqrt{2}}\right)$
or $F--\frac{m g^{2} t^{2}}{L \sqrt{2}}$
Minus sign indicates that the force on the chain is opposite to its velocity. The total normal force at any instant, while the chain is falling, is $F_{N}-\frac{m g^{2} t^{2}}{2 L \sqrt{2}}+\frac{m g^{2} t^{2}}{L \sqrt{2}}-\frac{3 m g^{2} t^{2}}{2 \sqrt{2} L}$
The time of fall, $t-\sqrt{\frac{2 L}{g}}$
(b) The total impulse $-\int_{0}^{\sqrt{2 / \lambda_{g}}} F_{N} d t-\int_{a}^{\sqrt{2 I . / g}} \frac{3 m g^{2} t^{2}}{2 \sqrt{2} L} d t-\frac{3 m g^{2}}{2 \sqrt{2} L}\left[\frac{t^{3}}{3}\right]_{0}^{\sqrt{2 L /_{*}}}-m(\sqrt{g L})$