Chronology Current Month Current Thread Current Date
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] [Date Index] [Thread Index] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Prev] [Date Next]

Re: [Phys-l] Collision of irregular bodies



When I first read this question - I took it to be an exercise in 3-D analytic geometry and pretty much convinced myself that a single point of contact between the irregularly shaped objects would require that there would be a common, single plane of osculation. (Pathological examples set aside for the nonce.) i.e. lets take each surface to be differentiable at the point of contact.

I took smooth to imply no tangential forces - but maybe Brian didn't take this restriction?
So all the force would be normal to the osculatory plane.

My imagination is looking forward to examples where the mass distribution WILL affect the direction of the contact force.


My imagination also now asks about the collision of two fractal snowflakes.
Seems like a possible entry into something called chaotic friction?


At 8:35 -0500 on 8/12/06, Brian Whatcott wrote concerning Re: [Phys-l] Collision of irregular bodies :
<major snip>

> Can the mass distribution, etc affect the direction of force as John D. implied?

Yes. Would you care for imaginary examples?


eagerly anticipating examples.


(All HS physics teachers should be issued Nomex underwear when they sign up for this list) ;-)