Matlab Newton-Raphson Solver - Catenary Problem

A classical problem in engineering is the Catenary problem. This problem is an idealized model of the static equilibrium of a rope or chain suspended from 2 points. The solution to the problem is

y = a*cosh(x/a)

where a is a constant to computed and x ∈ (−h/2, h/2). If, additionally, you are given the length of the suspended rope, L, the following equation needs to be solved to compute the constant a:

L= (2a)*sinh (h/2a)

Assuming h = 97 and L = 100, use a Newton solver to compute a. Compare with using MATLAB’s fzero command. Plot the resulting Catenary curve.

Thanks!

Answer 1

[Alberto]

This is not the place to get a full solution for your homework. Here you are a few links to start your part:

http://es.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/115909-how-do-i-find-a-solution-to-x-2-2-10-atan-x-using-the-newton-raphson-method

http://es.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/107508-solving-a-nonlinear-equation-using-newton-raphson-method