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Re: When Physical Intuition Fails

John Mallinckrodt wrote:

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.


Yes - entirely right. At that time there were people asking that the solution be held
back. I was just trying to give a hint that would lead to a simple statement of
conservation of angular momentum - the formula for which was supplied by Brian
Whatcott later.

I gave the problem of the box slipping on the conveyor belt to my students recently
and was surprised that most of them got it with no mention of any similar problem
before the exam. Maybe students are coming to us out of high school with better
physical intuition than we often give them credit for.

Bob at PC

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