All Questions
Tagged with classical-mechanics mg.metric-geometry
36 questions
63
votes
8
answers
14k
views
Fair but irregular polyhedral dice
I am interested in determining a collection of geometric conditions that will guarantee that a convex polyhedron
of $n$ faces is a fair die in the sense that, upon random rolling, it has an equal $1/n$...
- 151k
38
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Parabolic envelope of fireworks
The envelope of parabolic trajectories from a common launch point is itself a parabola.
In the U.S. soon many will have a chance to observe this fact directly, as the 4th of July is traditionally ...
- 151k
33
votes
3
answers
5k
views
Do bubbles between plates approximate Voronoi diagrams?
For example, soap bubbles:
Image from UPenn:
"A 2-dimensional foam of wet soap bubbles squashed between glass plates, after 10 hours ...
- 151k
33
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Does there exist a shot in ideal pocket billiards?
Assume you have one shot with the cue ball in pocket billiards (a.k.a. pool), with
the game idealized in that no spin is placed on the cue ball in
the initial shot, all collisions between billiard ...
- 151k
25
votes
1
answer
7k
views
Hanging a ball with string
What is the shortest length of string that suffices to hang
a unit-radius ball $B$?
This question is related to an earlier MO question, but I think different.
Assume that the ball is frictionless.
...
- 151k
23
votes
1
answer
524
views
Tying knots via gravity-assisted spaceship trajectories
Q.
Can every knot be realized as the trajectory of a spaceship
weaving among a finite number of fixed planets, subject to gravity alone?
To make this more ...
- 151k
22
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Non-chaotic bouncing-ball curves
I was surprised to learn from two
Mathematica Demos by
Enrique Zeleny that an elastic ball bouncing in a V or in a sinusoidal channel
exhibits chaotic behavior:
(The Poincaré map ...
- 151k
21
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Which convex bodies roll along closed geodesics?
An ellipsoid could be rolled (without slippage) on a horizontal plane so that its point
of contact traces out a closed geodesic on its surface:
...
- 151k
18
votes
3
answers
627
views
Construction of an optimal electron cage
I will describe the question first in 2D, but my interest is in $\mathbb{R}^3$.
An electron $x$ will shoot from the origin along an initial vector $v$. You know the speed $|v|$ but not the direction.
...
- 151k
15
votes
4
answers
888
views
Orthogonal mud cracks and Maxwell's reciprocal figures
Is there a succinct mathematical/physical explanation of why mud cracks
tend to meet orthogonally?
Wikipedia image in this ...
- 151k
15
votes
0
answers
517
views
Functions approximated by rolling epicycle curves
Imagine a decreasing sequence of (positive) radii $r_1 > r_2 > r_3 > \cdots$
and a series of nested circles $C_1 \supset C_2 \supset C_3 \supset \cdots$
with these radii,
initially each ...
- 151k
14
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Egg-ovoid rolling down an inclined plane
I am seeking a mathematical analysis of an egg-ovoid rolling down an inclined plane,
for pedagogical reasons.
It is well-known folk lore that the shape of an egg prevents it from rolling away from
...
- 151k
14
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Polygonal billards programs
I'm looking for software that will give billiard trajectories in arbitrary plane polygons. After much work I was able to produce this figure.
(source)
It was a good exercise, but at this point I ...
- 22.8k
13
votes
4
answers
1k
views
When sticks fall, will they weave?
Imagine $n$ $z$-vertical sticks uniformly spaced around a unit-radius circle in the $xy$-plane.
At $t{=}0$, each is randomly $\epsilon$-perturbed from the vertical, and they fall under
the influence ...
- 151k
11
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Floating polyhedra with fair equilibria
Is there a homogeneous convex polyhedron
which floats so that some subset (perhaps all) of its faces
is distinguished as "up" (above the water line)
in stable equilibrium, each face with equal ...
- 151k
11
votes
3
answers
903
views
"Rolling Geodesics": Designing a $k$-putt green
I am interested in what might be called rolling geodesics, paths
of physical particles confined to a surface in $\mathbb{R}^3$
under certain force conditions.
Here I will pose a specific (but ...
- 151k
10
votes
1
answer
494
views
Ping-pong progress through a quincunx
A quincunx or
Galton board consists of
staggered pegs from which ping-pong balls bounce and eventually display
a binomial / normal distribution in catch-bins. I am wondering if the
downward progress ...
- 151k
10
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Equations for an algebraic gömböc
A gömböc is a $3$-dimensional convex body (having uniform density) which has exactly one stable and one instable equilbrium position (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6mb%C3%B6c).
Such a convex ...
- 17.9k
9
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Oloid and sphericon: rolling develops entire surface
Wikipedia says that,
"The oloid is one of the only known objects, along with some members of the sphericon family, that while rolling, develops its entire surface."
Below are illustrations of ...
- 151k
9
votes
1
answer
559
views
Generalizing a square wheel to a body rolling on a surface
A square wheel rolling on a catenary road maintains the wheel center at a fixed
height, a well-known construction previously discussed on MO
(e.g.,
"Generalizing square wheels rolling on inverted ...
- 151k
9
votes
2
answers
379
views
Which convex bodies roll straight?
Let $K$ be a convex body in $\mathbb{R}^3$.
Suppose $K$ is held at some position and orientation on an inclined plane,
and released.
Let there be sufficient friction so that it rolls without slippage.
...
- 151k
9
votes
0
answers
368
views
Periodic orbits of a spinning ball in a square
Periodic orbits of a billiard ball bouncing in a square have been well-studied.
I am seeking similar analysis of what is sometimes called a rough ball, one
whose high friction causes it to pick up ...
- 151k
8
votes
1
answer
787
views
The rain hull and the rain ridge
Rain falls steadily on an island, a 2-manifold $M$, which you may
assume, as you prefer,
is: (a) smooth, or (b) a PL-manifold, or perhaps even
(c) a
triangulated irregular network (TIN).
After a time,...
- 151k
7
votes
1
answer
815
views
Rolling a convex body: Geodesics vs. rolling curves
What are the curves of contact on a convex body $B$ rolling down an inclined plane?
Assume $B$ is smooth, and there is sufficient friction to prevent slippage.
Certainly, one can develop a geodesic ...
- 151k
7
votes
0
answers
336
views
Hanging a cube with string
This is a variation on a (much) earlier MO question, Hanging a ball with string.
Here instead the task is to arrange a net of string to hang
a unit cube. Assume:
The string is inelastic.
There is no ...
- 151k
7
votes
0
answers
102
views
Is there a convex three-dimensional body with constant width and only finitely-many equilibria? Or: do spheroform gömböcök exist?
Mathematical questions. The mathematical (and 'gravity'-free) formulation of the question in the title is given by the following questions:
Q1. Does there exist $(a,b)\in\omega^2\setminus\{(0,0)\}$ ...
- 6,051
6
votes
2
answers
656
views
Minimal surface which divides a convex body into two regions of equal volume
Question. Given a convex body $\Omega$, what is the shape of a surface $\Gamma$ of minimal area which divides $\Omega$ into two regions of equal volume?
Background/motivation.
A 2D version of the ...
- 22.3k
6
votes
1
answer
544
views
Is there a sideways-walking rolling convex body?
Let $K$ be a solid, homogenous convex body in $\mathbb{R}^3$.
Place $K$ on an inclined plane, and let it roll down the plane,
under some reasonable assumptions of friction between $K$ and
the plane, ...
- 151k
6
votes
0
answers
237
views
Generalization of the non-existence of a monostatic planar body
Domokos, Papadopulos, and Ruina showed that there does not exist a convex planar rigid body of uniform density which has only
one orientation of stable equilibrium and one orientation of unstable ...
- 5,971
5
votes
0
answers
166
views
Pocket billiards with balls in general position
There were at least two earlier MO questions about ideal pocket billiards.
(Ideal: frictionless, perfectly elastic collisions.)
Perfectly centered break of a perfectly aligned pool ball rack.
Does ...
- 151k
4
votes
1
answer
288
views
Stable equilibria of points on the 2-sphere
Suppose $n$ points lie on the sphere $S^2=\{x\in\mathbb{R}^3\mid \|x\|=1\}$ and are subjected to a repulsive acceleration that pushes away a point from each other point with an intensity proportional ...
- 43
3
votes
1
answer
697
views
Which motion is exclusive in 3D or higher dimensions?
Hi guys,
I have a simple question
Linear movement can be found in 1D, 2D and 3D world objects
Rotation can be found in 2D and 3D world objects.
Now, are there any kind of motion can only be found ...
- 101
3
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Planar linkage that traces a circle from its exterior?
Q.
Is there a linkage in the plane that traces out a circle $C$
in such a manner that the interior of the disk bounded
by $C$ is never intersected by any link througout the motion?
What I mean ...
- 151k
3
votes
0
answers
179
views
Dynamics of electrons on a sphere
Suppose one place $n$ electrons closely surrounding the north pole of a sphere, forming
a perfect planar regular $n$-gon:
Q1.
What will happen if the electrons ...
- 151k
3
votes
0
answers
122
views
A taut string of equilateral triangles
Let $T$ be a unit edge-length equilateral triangle composed of three cylinders each
of (small) radius $r>0$. (By "small" I mean approximately $< 0.1$.)
Think of $T$ as a physical, rigid triangle,...
- 151k
1
vote
0
answers
114
views
Shortest rope to capture a sphere of diameter 1 [duplicate]
I have a perfect rigid sphere of diameter 1.
I have infinite supply of rope. The rope is infinitely flexible and can be cut or glued without losing or adding length. The rope can be glued at any ...
- 11