Related papers: Brachistochrone on a Velodrome
The classical problem of the brachistochrone asks for the curve down which a body sliding from rest and accelerated by gravity will slip (without friction) from one point to another in least time. In undergraduate courses on classical…
If A and B are two points in the plane, with B lower and to the right of A, then we may consider the trajectory of an object travelling from A to B under the influence of gravity. The search for the trajectory minimising the time taken by…
We analyze the motion of a particle in the gravity field along a family of differentiable curves taking into account the Coulomb friction forces. A parametric equation of the optimal curves is given that generalizes the cycloid one in this…
The brachistochrone, the curve of fastest descent under gravity, is a cycloid when friction is absent. Underwater, however, buoyancy, viscous drag, and the added mass of entrained fluid fundamentally alter the problem. We formulate and…
We consider the problem of finding paths of shortest transit time between two points (popularly known as Brachistochrone) for cylinders with off-centered center of mass, rolling down without slip, subject solely to the force of gravity.…
VAM ({\it velocit\`a ascensionale media}) is a measurement that quantifies a cyclist's climbing ability. We show that to minimize the time to attain a given height gain\, -- \,which is tantamount to maximizing VAM\, -- \,a cyclist should…
We discuss a fluid dynamic variant of the classical Bernoulli's brachistochrone problem. The classical brachistochrone for a non-dissipative particle is governed by maximization of the particle's kinetic energy resulting in a cycloid. We…
We solve the brachistochrone problem for a particle travelling through a spherical mass distribution of uniform density. We examine the connection between this problem and the popular "gravity elevator" result. The solution is compared to…
A novel efficient downstairs trajectory is proposed for a 9 link biped robot model with toe-foot. Brachistochrone is the fastest descent trajectory for a particle moving only under the influence of gravity. In most situations, while…
If a particle has to fall first vertically 1 m from A and then move horizontally 1 m to B, it takes a time $t(=\tau_1+\tau_2=\tau_3=3/\sqrt{2g})=0.67$ s. Under gravity and without friction, if it sides down on a linear track inclined at…
Consider a frictionless surface S in a gravitational field that need not be uniform. Given two points A and B on S, what curve is traced out by a particle that starts at A and reaches B in the shortest time? This paper considers this…
The velocit\`a ascensionale media (VAM) is measurement that quantifies a cyclist's climbing ability. It depends on both the ground speed of a bicycle-cyclist system and the slope of an incline. To maximize the ascent speed, the solution to…
We model the instantaneous power applied by a cyclist on a velodrome -- for individual pursuits and other individual time trials -- taking into account its straights, circular arcs, and connecting transition curves. The forces opposing the…
The paper studies the problem of making Getz's bicycle model traverse a strictly convex Jordan curve with bounded roll angle and bounded speed. The approach to solving this problem is based on the virtual holonomic constraint (VHC) method.…
We consider different generalizations of the Brachistochrone Problem in the context of fundamental concepts of classical mechanics. The correct statement for the Brachistochrone problem for nonholonomic systems is proposed. It is shown that…
Motions of a material point along a set of parabolas are studied, taking into account the forces of Coulomb friction. The obtained results are compared with similar motions along the cycloid. The analysis is carried out using numerical…
We study quantum brachistochrone problem for the spin-1 system in a magnetic field of a constant absolute value. Such system gives us a possibility to examine in detail the statement of papers [A. Carlini {\it et al.}, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf…
We determine the globally minimum time $T$ needed to translate a thin submerged flat plate a given distance parallel to its surface within a work budget. The Reynolds number for the flow is assumed to be large so that the drag on the plate…
The brachistochrone problem can be solved either by variational calculus or by a skillful application of the Snellius' law of refraction. This suggests the question whether also other variational problems can be solved by an analogue of the…
Recently, the quantum brachistochrone problem is discussed in the literature by using non-Hermitian Hamilton operators of different type. Here, it is demonstrated that the passage time is tunable in realistic open quantum systems due to the…