After seeing the experiments aboard the ISS, I am interested how the difference between the bead chain and the string/rope worked. The string stayed relatively straight in 0G, while the bead chain flowed very well.

The experiment that may answer some of my questions here is:

Does this work with larger chain - like the type that you would use on a truck (not anchor chains)? And does rope flow like this? Does this property come about as a response to having semi-freely flowing hinges?

My initial thoughts(or hypothesis) is that the forces that are causing this wouldn't work as well with rope. If that's the case, the forces in play here may be more than just gravity and inertia, but also perhaps a lever-like force at the apex of the chain fountain, where the connections between the beads pull the next bead.

Maybe there would be a way to custom make/order a bead chain with different types of connections to see if the forces act differently?

My science background definitely doesn't cover physics, so this is just my intuition about the forces at play here, so it should be taken with a grain of salt. I'm looking forward to seeing the next experiments!