Related papers: Failure of intuition in elementary rigid body dyna…
We measure the drag encountered by a vertically oriented rod moving across a sedimented granular bed immersed in a fluid under steady-state conditions. At low rod speeds, the presence of the fluid leads to a lower drag because of buoyancy,…
We present experiments on the dynamic buckling and fragmentation of slender rods axially impacted by a projectile. By combining the results of Saint-Venant and elastic beam theory, we derive a preferred wavelength lambda for the buckling…
Optimum projection angles for achieving maximum horizontal range in throwing and jumping events are considerably less than 45 degrees. This unexpected result arise because an athlete can generate a greater projection velocity at low…
The transition from static to dynamic friction when an elastic body is slid over another is now known to result from the motion of interface rupture fronts. These fronts may be either crack-like or pulse-like, with the latter involving…
Safety for physical human-robot interaction (pHRI) is a major concern for all application domains. While current standardization for industrial robot applications provide safety constraints that address the onset of pain in blunt impacts,…
We investigate the crossover between weak and strong self-avoidance in a simulation of random surfaces with extrinsic curvature. We consider both dynamically triangulated and rigid surfaces with the two possible discretizations of the…
Real-life control tasks involve matters of various substances---rigid or soft bodies, liquid, gas---each with distinct physical behaviors. This poses challenges to traditional rigid-body physics engines. Particle-based simulators have been…
This manuscript is written for students in introductory physics classes to address some of the common difficulties and misconceptions of the normal force, especially the relationship between normal and friction forces. Accordingly, it is…
Despite recent advances in robust locomotion, bipedal robots operating in the real world remain at risk of falling. While most research focuses on preventing such events, we instead concentrate on the phenomenon of falling itself.…
We consider a system of multiple insulating rigid bodies moving inside of an electrically conducting compressible fluid. In this system we take into account the interaction of the fluid with the bodies as well as with the electromagnetic…
Understanding physical phenomena is a key competence that enables humans and animals to act and interact under uncertain perception in previously unseen environments containing novel objects and their configurations. Developmental…
The static as well as the dynamic behaviour of granular material are determined by dynamic {\it and} static friction. There are well known methods to include static friction in molecular dynamics simulations using scarcely understood…
A collision of viscoelastic bodies is analysed within a mathematically rigorous approach. We develop a perturbation scheme to solve continuum mechanics equation, which deals simultaneously with strain and strain rate in the bulk of the…
A classic problem of the motion of a projectile thrown at an angle to the horizon is studied. Air resistance force and Magnus force are taken into account with the use of the quadratic laws. We consider the asymptotic motion of the…
Formulating a consistent theory for rigid-body dynamics with impacts is an intricate problem. Twenty years ago Stewart published the first consistent theory with purely inelastic impacts and an impulsive friction model analogous to Coulomb…
Several scenarios used in teaching feature a rolling motion with slipping that transitions to one without through friction with the ground. We summarise these transitions by introducing an unknown impulse that is transferred to the ground.…
The bifurcation problem of a circular Euler-Bernoulli rod subject to a uniform radial force distribution is investigated under three distinct loading conditions: (i.) hydrostatic pressure, (ii.) centrally-directed, and (iii.) dead load.…
In this paper, instability at an interface between two miscible liquids with identical mechanical properties but different electrical conductivities is analyzed in the presence of an electric field that is perpendicular to the interface. A…
There are many physical processes that have inherent discontinuities in their mathematical formulations. This paper is motivated by the specific case of collisions between two rigid or deformable bodies and the intrinsic nature of that…
Prior research suggests that many students believe that the magnitude of the static frictional force is always equal to its maximum value. Here, we examine introductory students' ability to learn from analogical reasoning (with different…