the difference between a parabola and a catenary

Question

the difference between a parabola and a catenary

In: Mathematics

Answer 1

Fundamentally, it’s a different formula. Parabolas rely on a square to create the curve ( y=x^(2) ) while catenaries use the hyperbolic cosine function “cosh” ( y=cosh(x) ).

One of the simpler differences is that if you extended the “arms” of the curve to infinity, a parabola’s arms will trend toward parallel, while a catenary’s will not.