Let the applied force be . A segment with polar angle has energy . Independent 3D orientations give the one-link partition function
Taking the force derivative of yields the mean end-to-end projection,
For , , so
Isotropy supplies the vector relation. It is the mean vector or its projection, not the mean magnitude of a fluctuating chain; at zero force while remains positive. The last panel of the model figure in solution shows the exact orientational response and its weak-force tangent.