I'm afraid it is not accurate at all because it is not answering the question as asked. It verifies that the track is under tension, but it doesn't attempt to answer if that tension is "too much". Which is what the question asks.
The OP, though, didn't mean "too much" as in "out of tolerance", but rather "too much" as in "has progressed from stress to strain and therefore is decreasing the useful lifetime of the parts."
OK, great. So can you explain how the mathematical answer is a solution to your interpretation?
Spoiler alert: it didn't. Nowhere does the mathematical answer address the question of "too much".
And what do you mean by "progressed from stress to strain?" Stress doesn't turn into strain, they exist simultaneously. You're probably trying to say progressed from elastic deformation to plastic deformation.
> It verifies that the track is under tension, but it doesn't attempt to answer if that tension is "too much". Which is what the question asks.
I think you (and many others in this thread) are confused because you read the title but not the body of the OP. Quoted:
> 1. Is there any way to quickly see if there is any tension, and why? (I know I could just take one piece out, and put it back in to feel it myself, but I am looking for a more logical way, so I am able to reason it.)
> 2. Suppose I want to update the track in the picture to have less tension. If you have to take away exactly 1 rail piece (straight or curved), which one is the best, and why? If you have to add exactly 1 rail piece (straight or curved), what is the optimal place to insert one?
The accepted answer attempts to address these questions.
I'm afraid it is not accurate at all because it is not answering the question as asked. It verifies that the track is under tension, but it doesn't attempt to answer if that tension is "too much". Which is what the question asks.