Tension in a Hanging Chain

A hanging flexible chain suspended from its ends is subject to tension. The tension depends on the horizontal and vertical distances between its ends and on the length of the chain. Use the slider to move the point M to see how this tension varies along the chain.

Note that the tension is calculated for a linear weight of the chain of 1 N/m (the tension varies linearly with this linear weight). The color of the chain gives the following qualitative information: green corresponds to the minimum and magenta to the maximum of the tension.