Re: [Phys-l] real-world problem

[John Mallinckrodt <ajm@csupomona.edu>]

I see that Tom and Ray did fall for the COM-based solution, 

  http://www.cartalk.com/content/puzzler/transcripts/201103/answer.html

but I still doubt that any car company engineer would have gone that route.  Interestingly, Tom and Ray were likely attracted to that solution precisely because they thought it elegantly illustrated some fundamental physics which is precisely NOT what it does.

I wrote to them, but I imagine others have already done the same.

John Mallinckrodt
Cal Poly Pomona

On Feb 1, 2011, at 8:34 PM, brian whatcott wrote:

> On 2/1/2011 9:50 PM, John Mallinckrodt wrote:
> > /snip/
> > Now I'm not sure what "42.4% mark" you're referring to.  It surely would never have come up in the first place as it requires a both difficult AND misguided calculation.  Indeed, it's pretty clear that no car manufacturer does any careful calculations, let alone calibrations of fuel gauges.  Hell, I'd be happy if 50% on my Prius gauge corresponded to as much as 40% remaining.
> >
> > John Mallinckrodt
> > Cal Poly Pomona
>
> Here you go, John.    A puzzle posed by an anonymous physicist, apparently:
>
> <http://www.cartalk.com/content/puzzler/transcripts/201103/index.html>
>
> Brian W
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