Related papers: The weight of a falling chain, revisited
We consider the massless limit of Higgs gravity, where the graviton becomes massive when the scalar fields acquire expectation values. We determine the Vainshtein scale and prove that massive gravity smoothly goes to General Relativity…
The unification of quantum theory and the general theory of relativity - describing gravity, is one of the most important challenges in science. Einstein's general theory of relativity is based on the principle of equivalence, and has been…
Suppose you drop a coin from 10 feet above the ground. How long does it take to reach the ground? This routine exercise is well-known to every AP physics and calculus student: the answer is given by a formula that assumes constant…
We revisit the range sampling problem: the input is a set of points where each point is associated with a real-valued weight. The goal is to store them in a structure such that given a query range and an integer $k$, we can extract $k$…
This study explores the gravitational collapse of a massless scalar field within Quadratic Gravity treated as a dimension-four operator Effective Field Theory extension to General Relativity. The additional degrees of freedom associated…
This paper discusses the oscillations of a spring (slinky) under its own weight. A discrete model, describing the slinky by $N$ springs and $N$ masses, is introduced and compared to a continuous treatment. One interesting result is that the…
Modified gravity theories capable of genuine self-acceleration typically invoke a galileon scalar which mediates a long range force, but is screened by the Vainshtein mechanism on small scales. In such theories, non-relativistic stars carry…
We consider materials whose mechanical integrity is the result of a jamming process. We argue that such media are generically "fragile": unable to support certain types of incremental loading without plastic rearrangement. Fragility is…
When the laws of Physics are taken seriously, the sports can benefit in getting better results, as was the case of the high jump in Flop style, so that the athlete sprints diagonally towards the bar,then curve and leap backwards over it.…
Apparent mass measurements at the bottom of granular packings inside a vertical tube in relative motion are reported. They demonstrate that Janssen's model is valid over a broad range of velocities v. The variability of the measurements is…
We derive constraints on scalar field theories coupled to gravity by using recently developed positivity bounds in the presence of gravity. It is found that a canonically-normalized real scalar cannot have an arbitrarily flat potential…
Gravity-driven collapses involving large amounts of dense granular material, such as landslides, avalanches, or rockfalls, in a geophysical context, represent significant natural hazards. Understanding their complex dynamics is hence a key…
We present precise and reproducible mean pressure measurements at the bottom of a cylindrical granular column. If a constant overload is added, the pressure is linear in overload and nonmonotonic in the column height. The results are {\em…
Some new challenges for an experiment and observation, which are consequences of the model of low-energy quantum gravity by the author, are considered here. In particular, the property of asymptotic freedom of this model leads to the…
The gedanken-experiment of Einstein's lift is analyzed in order of determining whether the free-falling observer inside the lift can detect the eventual topological non-triviality of space-time
In this work we present an experimental study of the jamming that stops the free flow of grains from a silo discharging by gravity. When the outlet size is not much bigger than the beads, granular material jams the outlet of the container…
Slender elastic objects such as a column tend to buckle under loads. While static buckling is well understood as a bifurcation problem, the evolution of shapes during dynamic buckling is much harder to study. Elastic rings under normal…
We consider the rupture dynamics of a homopolymer chain pulled at one end at a constant loading rate. Our model of the breakable polymer is related to the Rouse chain, with the only difference that the interaction between the monomers is…
We consider the elastic energy of a hanging drape -- a thin elastic sheet, pulled down by the force of gravity, with fine-scale folding at the top that achieves approximately uniform confinement. This example of energy-driven pattern…
This paper presents a serial chain hinge support, a rigid but flexible structure that improves the mechanical performance and robustness of soft-fingered grippers. Gravity can reduce the integrity of soft fingers in horizontal approach,…