Related papers: Failure of intuition in elementary rigid body dyna…
The study of the motion of a rigid body on a plane (RBP motion) is usually one of the most challenging topics that students face in introductory physics courses. In this paper, we discuss a couple of problems which are typically used in…
In this work we study the problem of one-dimensional elastic collisions of billiard balls, considered as rigid bodies, in a framework very different from the classical one presented in text books. Implementing the notion of impedance…
Paradoxes in the impact dynamics of rigid bodies are known to arise in the presence of friction. We show here that, on specificc occasions, in the absence of friction, the conservation laws of classical mechanics are also incompatible with…
Due to their performance and simplicity, rigid body simulators are often used in applications where the objects of interest can considered very stiff. However, no material has infinite stiffness, which means there are potentially cases…
We study the acceleration and collisions of rigid bodies in special relativity. After a brief historical review, we give a physical definition of the term `rigid body' in relativistic straight line motion. We show that the definition of…
Problems involving rotating systems analyzed from an inertial frame, without invoking fictitious forces, is something that freshman students find difficult to understand in an introductory mechanics course. One of the problems that I…
The dynamics of a set of rods bouncing on a vertically vibrated plate is investigated using experiments, simulations, and theoretical analysis. The experiments and simulations are performed within an annulus to impose periodic boundary…
The penetration of projectiles into granular materials has been mainly studied using spherical intruders. Here we explore the dynamics of rods penetrating vertically in a two-dimensional granular bed composed of expanded polystyrene…
We analyze the problem solving strategies of physics professors in a case where their physical intuition fails. A non-intuitive introductory-level problem was identified and posed to twenty physics professors. The problem placed the…
The relativistic motion of an arbitrary point of an accelerated rigid rod is discussed for the case when velocity and acceleration are directed along the rod's length. The discussion includes the case of a time-dependent force applied to a…
The two-dimensional motion of an object on a moving rough horizontal plane is investigated. Two cases are studied: the plane having a translational acceleration, and a rotating plane. For the first case, the motions of a point particle and…
In the rod and hole paradox as described by Rindler (1961 Am. J. Phys. 29 365-6), a rigid rod moves at high speed over a table towards a hole of the same size. Observations from the inertial frames of the rod and slot are widely different.…
One of the most challenging and basic problems in elastic rod dynamics is a description of rods in contact that prevents any unphysical self-intersections. Most previous works addressed this issue through the introduction of short-range…
We experimentally examine the dynamics of two-particle collisions occuring on a surface. We find that in two-particle collisions a standard coefficient of restitution model may not capture crucial dynamics of this system. Instead, for a…
The proper choice of a measurement technique that minimizes systematic and random uncertainty is an essential part of experimental physics. These issues are difficult to teach in the introductory laboratory, though: because most experiments…
A method for the discrete particle simulation of of almost rigid, sharply edged frictional particles, such as railway ballast is proposed. In difference to Molecular Dynamics algorithms, the method does not require knowledge about the…
A general framework for performing event-driven simulations of systems with semi-flexible or rigid bodies interacting under impulsive torques and forces is outlined. Two different approaches are presented. In the first, the dynamics and…
Mechanical instabilities can be exploited to design innovative structures, able to change their shape in the presence of external stimuli. In this work, we derive a mathematical model of an elastic beam subjected to an axial force and…
It is commonly assumed that fluid cannot slip along a solid surface. The experimental evidence generally supports this assumption. We demonstrate that when the change of the relative velocity of a fluid and a solid wall is sufficiently…
Rigid body interactions are fundamental to numerous scientific disciplines, but remain challenging to simulate due to their abrupt nonlinear nature and sensitivity to complex, often unknown environmental factors. These challenges call for…