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We show how the motion of free material test particles in arbitrary spatial flows is easily determined within the context of ordinary vector calculus. This may be useful for everyone, including engineers and other non-specialists, when…
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…
Methods are presented for measuring thrust using common force sensors and data acquisition to construct a dynamic force plate. A spreadsheet can be used to compute trajectory by integrating the equations of motion numerically. These…
A didactical exposition of the classical problem of the trajectory determination of a body, subject to the gravity in a resistant medium, is proposed. Our revisitation is aimed at showing a derivation of the problem solution which should be…
We present a general approach for the formulation of equations of motion for compact objects in general relativistic theories. The particle is assumed to be moving in a geometric background which in turn is asymptotically flat. Our approach…
We describe an experiment dedicated to the study of the trajectories of a ball bouncing randomly on a vibrating plate. The system was originally used, considering a sinusoidal vibration, to illustrate period doubling and the route to chaos.…
The influence of the relativistic motion of the reference frame on the light reflection law is investigated. The method is based on applying the relativistic aberration affect for three light signals: incident, normal and reflected rays.…
The kind of flat-earth gravity used in introductory physics appears in an accelerated reference system in special relativity. From this viewpoint, we work out the special relativistic description of a ballistic projectile and a simple…
The present article deals with general mechanics in an unconventional manner. At first, Newtonian mechanics for a point particle has been described in vectorial picture, considering Cartesian, polar and tangent-normal formulations in a…
Nonlinear dynamics of a bouncing ball moving vertically in a gravitational field and colliding with a moving limiter is considered and the Poincare map, describing evolution from an impact to the next impact, is described. Displacement of…
A simple setup was assembled to study the motion of an object while it falls. The setup was used to determine the instantaneous velocity, terminal velocity and acceleration due to gravity. Also, since the whole project was done within $20…
Relativistic blast waves can be described by a mechanical model. In this model, the "blast" -- the compressed gas between the forward and reverse shocks -- is viewed as one hot body. Equations governing its dynamics are derived from…
The method of Hessian measures is used to find the differential equation that defines the optimal shape of nonrotationally symmetric bodies with minimal resistance moving in a rare medium. The synthesis of optimal solutions is described. A…
Sports are a popular and effective way to illustrate physics principles. Baseball in particular presents a number of opportunities to motivate student interest and teach concepts. Several articles have appeared in this journal on this…
Particle trajectories in the form of a logarithmic spiral with specified angular time dependence, "ZK spirals," are shown to be analytic solutions for motion in non-central, but simple force power-laws. Each ZK spiral is a particular…
Propulsion of otherwise passive objects is achieved by mechanisms of active driving. We concentrate on cases in which the direction of active drive is subject to spontaneous symmetry breaking. In our case, this direction will be maintained,…
The simple realistic model of the tippe top is considered. An averaged system of equations of motion is obtained in special evolutionary variables. Through the qualitative analysis of this system the general features of the motion of the…
The seminal physical model for investigating formulations of nonlinear dynamics is the billiard. Gravitational billiards provide an experimentally accessible arena for their investigation. We present a mathematical model that captures the…
In order to find a law characterising the decrease of velocity along a jet, five analytical methods are suggested. The first two simple models examine the variation of velocity in the presence of Newton's or Stoke's resistance. The equation…
We analyse a mechanical system in two-dimensional relative motion with friction. Although the system is simple, the peculiar interplay between two kinetic friction forces and gravity leads to the wide range of admissible solutions exceeding…