- #1
ribod
- 14
- 0
I'm requesting help for a physics problem I have made up.
Let's say we put a ball on the edge of a table, with the center of the ball being a teeny weeny bit outside the edge of the table. In other words, if we have a coordinate system, the edge of the table is at 0,0, the center of the ball is an extremely small bit to the right of 0,r (where r is the radius of the ball).
It looks something like this:
''''''''''''''''''''''''ball
_________(_'''')
table'''''edge^
What will happen now is that the ball will roll down over the edge, to the right, because of gravity.
My question is, how can I set up two functions, for the movement of the center of the ball -- x(t) and y(t), where t is the time -- only when the ball is rolling over the edge.
My thinking is that the movement of the ball will follow the shape of the ball. At any given coordinate, the force affecting the ball can be calculated simply by taking the gravity vector downwards, the normal vector pointing from where the ball touches the edge to the center of the ball, and from these get the resultant vector. This resultant will be a tangent to the ball's circular shape, where the ball touches the edge. This means that the acceleration will change over time, and thus is not constant.
Let's say gravity acceleration is constant G, and radius of the ball is r, the center of the ball is x,y, and the coordinates where the ball touches the edge of the table is h,H. We ignore air resistance, and such things that can be ignored.
I can not use for example s=vt, because v is not constant. I cannot use s=ut+at^2/2, because acceleration is not constant either. so...
How will the ball move with time? How do I do the equations?
Let's say we put a ball on the edge of a table, with the center of the ball being a teeny weeny bit outside the edge of the table. In other words, if we have a coordinate system, the edge of the table is at 0,0, the center of the ball is an extremely small bit to the right of 0,r (where r is the radius of the ball).
It looks something like this:
''''''''''''''''''''''''ball
_________(_'''')
table'''''edge^
What will happen now is that the ball will roll down over the edge, to the right, because of gravity.
My question is, how can I set up two functions, for the movement of the center of the ball -- x(t) and y(t), where t is the time -- only when the ball is rolling over the edge.
My thinking is that the movement of the ball will follow the shape of the ball. At any given coordinate, the force affecting the ball can be calculated simply by taking the gravity vector downwards, the normal vector pointing from where the ball touches the edge to the center of the ball, and from these get the resultant vector. This resultant will be a tangent to the ball's circular shape, where the ball touches the edge. This means that the acceleration will change over time, and thus is not constant.
Let's say gravity acceleration is constant G, and radius of the ball is r, the center of the ball is x,y, and the coordinates where the ball touches the edge of the table is h,H. We ignore air resistance, and such things that can be ignored.
I can not use for example s=vt, because v is not constant. I cannot use s=ut+at^2/2, because acceleration is not constant either. so...
How will the ball move with time? How do I do the equations?