A mass-spring chain consists of four masses suspended between two fixed supports. The spring stiffnesses are c1 = 1, c2 = 1/2, c3 = 2/3, c4 = 1/2, c5 = 1.
(a) Determine the equilibrium positions of the masses and the elongations of the springs when the external force is f = (0, 1, 1, 0)T. Is your solution unique?
(b) Suppose we only fix the top support. Solve the problem with the same data and compare your results.