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Re: When Physical Intuition Fails



At some time the increasing forward linear speed of the wheel will equal the
decreasing tangential speed of the rim (R x omega). This will be the
end of slippage.

That general conclusion is not hard to sell people on. The
"difficult part" is determining what that final speed is.

There's an interesting linear problem that addresses the same issue.
Drop a package onto a moving conveyor belt. The package will slip
(and accelerate) until it reaches the speed of the belt - thereafter
it moves at the speed of the belt.

This problem doesn't address the same issue. There is work done (oh
dear!) on the box, no interplay between angular and linear momentum,
and the final speed is obvious.

--
John Mallinckrodt mailto:ajm@csupomona.edu
Cal Poly Pomona http://www.csupomona.edu/~ajm

This posting is the position of the writer, not that of SUNY-BSC, NAU or the AAPT.