What is Sliding: Definition and 731 Discussions

A sliding puzzle, sliding block puzzle, or sliding tile puzzle is a combination puzzle that challenges a player to slide (frequently flat) pieces along certain routes (usually on a board) to establish a certain end-configuration. The pieces to be moved may consist of simple shapes, or they may be imprinted with colours, patterns, sections of a larger picture (like a jigsaw puzzle), numbers, or letters.
Sliding puzzles are essentially two-dimensional in nature, even if the sliding is facilitated by mechanically interlinked pieces (like partially encaged marbles) or three-dimensional tokens. As this example shows, some sliding puzzles are mechanical puzzles. However, the mechanical fixtures are usually not essential to these puzzles; the parts could as well be tokens on a flat board that are moved according to certain rules.
Unlike other tour puzzles, a sliding block puzzle prohibits lifting any piece off the board. This property separates sliding puzzles from rearrangement puzzles. Hence, finding moves and the paths opened up by each move within the two-dimensional confines of the board are important parts of solving sliding block puzzles.
The oldest type of sliding puzzle is the fifteen puzzle, invented by Noyes Chapman in 1880; Sam Loyd is often wrongly credited with making sliding puzzles popular based on his false claim that he invented the fifteen puzzle. Chapman's invention initiated a puzzle craze in the early 1880s.
From the 1950s through the 1980s sliding puzzles employing letters to form words were very popular. These sorts of puzzles have several possible solutions, as may be seen from examples such as Ro-Let (a letter-based fifteen puzzle), Scribe-o (4x8), and Lingo.The fifteen puzzle has been computerized (as puzzle video games) and examples are available to play for free on-line from many Web pages. It is a descendant of the jigsaw puzzle in that its point is to form a picture on-screen. The last square of the puzzle is then displayed automatically once the other pieces have been lined up.

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  1. L

    Car sliding down inclined plane.

    A driver traveling down a 4.6 degree incline slams on his breaks, coming to rest 30m later. If the coeficient of kinetic friction between the tires and the road were 0.45, how fast was he initially traveling? The only way I can think of solving this problem is to differentiate distance to get...
  2. P

    Bead sliding down a smooth cord.

    Hello, Homework Statement I am asked to show that the time it would take a bead to slide down a smooth cord, positioned at an angle beta wrt the vertical axis, is independent on that angle (between the cord and the axis). The bead starts its slide from rest. Homework Equations The...
  3. N

    At What Point Does the Boy Lose Contact with the Ice?

    Homework Statement A boy is initially seated on the top of a hemispherical ice mound of radius r=13.8m. He begins to slide down the ice, with an initial speed vi=3m/sec. Approximate the ice as being frictionless. At what height does the boy lose contact with the ice? Homework Equations...
  4. B

    Wheel dynamics: sliding and skidding

    Hi all. Reading on several books and papers, I found that the motion of a wheel moving on a flat surface are given by (assume that positive torques are counter-clockwise and the positive direction of the motion is toward the right direction): m \dot v=F J \dot ω=-rF+T for T<0, where m...
  5. T

    Quick easy question block sliding down wedge

    Homework Statement If a block is let go from the top of a wedge elevated at a certain angle and slides down will it reach the bottom at the same time as if the wedge was moving and then we let the block slide? so neglect friction and air resistance and basically just let the block slide down...
  6. Z

    Calculating Frictional Force of a Sliding Mass

    Homework Statement A 10.0-kg mass is placed on a 25.0o degree incline and friction keeps it from sliding. The coefficient of static friction in this case is 0.580, and the coefficient of sliding friction is 0.520. The mass is given a shove causing it to slide down the incline. Homework...
  7. S

    Small mass attached to a string sliding between two circles

    Homework Statement A small mass M attached to a string slides in a circle (Y) on a frictionless horizontal table, with the force F providing the necessary tension (see figure). The force is then decreased slowly and then maintained constant when M travels around in circle (X). The radius of...
  8. Z

    Board and man sliding on ice problem

    Homework Statement A 250-kg board, 2.4 m in length slides broadside along the surface of ice with a speed of 21m/s . A 63 kg man at rest grabs one end as it goes past and hangs on as both he and the beam go spinning down the ice. Assume frictionless motion, and assume that the man can be...
  9. T

    Minimum angle to prevent sliding (Friction & Forces)

    Homework Statement Suppose a truck is going up a hill and the maximum acceleration while braking is 9 m/s2. Find the minimum angle of the hill such that the driver can brake at maximum rate without the refrigerator on back slipping. (coefficient of static friction between truck and...
  10. W

    Calculating the stopping distance of a car sliding down an incline.

    Homework Statement When a car is traveling at 22 m/s on level ground, the stopping distance is found to be 22 m. This distance is measured by pushing hard on the brakes so that the wheels skid on the pavement. The same car is driving at the same speed down an incline that makes an angle of...
  11. Q

    Normal Force on Sliding Ladder

    Homework Statement A ladder of length l and mass m leans against the side of a house, making an angle θ with the vertical. Assume that the ladder is free to slide at the point where it touches the side of the house (there is no significant friction). Find an expression for the normal force...
  12. sunrah

    Thermodyn.: ideal gases in 2 two chambers separated by a sliding barrier

    Homework Statement Two different ideal gases are separated by a sliding barrier that can move vertically. The gas in the upper chamber 1 has n moles of material, whilst the gas in the lower chamber 2 has 3n moles of material. At T0 the weight of the barrier is such that the volumes of the two...
  13. J

    Box sliding on 35 degree grade

    A box slides down a frictionless plane that makes an angle of 35 degrees with the horizontal. A horizontal force of half the box's weight presses the box against the plane. What is the box's acceleration? I'm confused as to what kind of effect would a horizontal force have on an object...
  14. R

    Applied Force to a Sliding Frictionless Ramp

    Homework Statement Hello all, kinda angry at myself for posting this but my brain has hit a brick wall. This is an easy problem too... anyway. A frictioness ramp of mass M and incline θ sits on a frictionless surface. A block of mass m sits on the ramp. What horizontal force F must be applied...
  15. F

    Force required to keep block from sliding down (check)

    Homework Statement The two blocks (with m=16kg and M=88kg) shown in Fig. 6-56 are not attached. The coefficient of static friction between the blocks is \mustat=0.38, but the surface beneath the larger block is frictionless. what is the minimum magnitude of the horizontal force \vec{F}...
  16. S

    Problem Introducing Me to Sliding Friction

    I'm going through the problems at the back of a chapter in my physics book where all the challenging questions are. I'm able to solve most and comprehend the rest, however, there's one that's introducing a new concept that I'm not quite sure how to think about. Its a situation where I'm...
  17. K

    Solve Sliding Hockey Puck Problem: Coeff. of Kinetic Friction

    Homework Statement A hockey puck is sliding across a frozen pond with an initial speed of 7.5 m/s. It comes to rest after sliding a distance of 23.7 m. What is the coefficient of kinetic friction between the puck and the ice? v0x = initial speed = 7.5 m/s vfx = final speed = 0 m/s Δx = x...
  18. T

    Dynamic FBD - Man and box sliding on an incline

    Homework Statement http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/493/capturemml.png The Attempt at a Solution Here is my attempt. I assumed that both the man and the box would slide down the incline. (The box is the left diagram and the man is on the right)...
  19. L

    Model Dynamics of Unit Mass Sliding Down y=f(x) Under Gravity

    For a unit mass sliding down the stationary curve y = f(x) at the point (x, y), we can consider our mass to be sliding down a stationary inclined plane which is tangential to the curve at the point (x, y). The slope of this inclined plane is thus \frac{dy}{dx}(x). For the remainder of this...
  20. A

    Merry-go-round with brick and sliding friction.

    Homework Statement The picture shows a rotating platform that serves as a playground merry go round. The platform rotates on low-friction bearings about its center axis. It has a radius of 2.0 meters, and its moment of inertia about the center axis is 200 kg m2. Suppose that the...
  21. T

    Block sliding up an inclined plane lab

    Homework Statement A block is given an initial speed of 3m/s up a 22° inclined plane. How far up the plane will it go? How much time elapses before it returns to its starting point? Homework Equations D = 1/2at2 a = Δv/t Vf2 = Vi2+ 2a*d The Attempt at a Solution The Vy is 1.12m/s...
  22. G

    Two blocks sliding on one another.

    Homework Statement A block of mass 2.0kg rests on top of another block of mass 10.0kg that itself rests on a frictionless table. The largest frictional force that can develop between the two blocks is 16N. Calculate the largest force with which the bottom block can be pulled so that both...
  23. B

    Sliding, rolling and overall friction

    Hi all. I'm struggling to understand how and where the friction forces that appear on the motion of a wheel on a flat surface, but I don't know if I understand it properly. I hope that you can help me. I try to describe the problem as follows. When a wheel is not moving, and there are no...
  24. B

    Mass on incline plane sliding into spring, need to find max compression

    Homework Statement A 11 kg box slides 4.0 m down the frictionless ramp shown in the figure , then collides with a spring whose spring constant is 190 N/m. The angle of the ramp is 30°. What is the maximum compression of the spring? Homework Equations Ei=mgh Ef=1/2kx^2 The Attempt...
  25. S

    Object sliding with friction into a spring Find compression

    Homework Statement A 1.18 kg block slides across a horizontal surface directly toward a massless spring with spring constant 5,803 N/m. The surface is frictionless except for a rough patch of length 0.42 m that has coefficient of kinetic friction 0.367. The initial velocity of the block is...
  26. B

    Temperature change with sliding a crate

    Homework Statement A crate of fruit with a mass of 33.5kg and a specific heat capacity of 3650 J/kg*K slides 8.20m down a ramp inclined at an angle of 37.6 degrees below the horizontal. If an amount of heat equal to the magnitude of the work done by friction is absorbed by the crate of...
  27. N

    Calculate the coefficient of friction of a box sliding down a hill?

    Homework Statement A block slides down a hill. The hill has a gentle 20° slope with respect to the horizontal. The block has an initial speed of 6 m/s. If the block comes to a stop after traveling a total distance of 11 m along the slope, what is the coefficient of kinetic friction between the...
  28. F

    Bead sliding on a rigid straight wire

    Homework Statement A bead is free to slide along a rigid, straight wire, whilst the wire is rotating at angular velocity ω about the z-axis and is tilted away from the z-axis at angle α. I have the equation of motion (EOM) and need to find an explicit solution for the distance of the bead along...
  29. F

    Dive effect of sliding objects

    For an object sliding on a horizontal surface, there is a dive effect caused by friction. This means that the front edge of the object is "diving" towards the surface and the back edge has some lift. As a result the friction will be stronger in the front edge of the object, which typically...
  30. E

    Weight of an object sliding on an incline

    First I would like to appologize for my english, I'm from belgium and I don't often use it to speak about physics. Second, I don't know if I'm in the good thread to speak about that. Ok, I need a little help, I have a problem where an object slidind on a incline plan. I would like to know...
  31. Y

    Dynamics - Object Sliding Along A Frictionless Wall

    Homework Statement The 500lb box is released from rest in the position shown. The wall and ground are smooth. Determine (a) the angular acceleration of the box, and (b) the reactions at corners A and B at the instant after release. **G = center of mass **L = length of side = 2.5ft **phi =...
  32. C

    Two blocks sliding down a rough inclined plane

    *****Homework Statement **** Two blocks, A and B, are sliding down an inclined (20 degrees) plane. Block A is sliding in front of block B with both of them touching. The blocks slide from a distance of 6.50m from the bottom (along the inclined plane, not the surface the plane rests on)...
  33. fluidistic

    Rigid body (mass sliding over a cone)

    Homework Statement There's a problem that I don't even know really where to start. It seems extremely complex to me. Basically there's a reverted cone of mass M with a mass of mass m that can slides over it without friction. But there's a constraint of motion for the particule, it must stay...
  34. J

    A Block Sliding Across the Floor

    Homework Statement A box slides across a frictionless floor with an initial speed v = 3.2 m/s. It encounters a rough region where the coefficient of friction is µk = 0.1. If instead the strip is only 1.56734693877551 m long, with what speed does the box leave the strip? Homework Equations...
  35. V

    Mass sliding down surface of a sphere

    Homework Statement A small mass m slides down from rest at the top of a frictionless spherical surface of radius R=.5 meters. What is the speed of the particle at position x where it loses contact with the surface, and velocity makes an angle of θ=48.2 with the vertical? The answer...
  36. T

    Two boxes sliding down a 20° ramp.

    °Homework Statement The figure shows two boxes, A and B, on a ramp. The ramp forms a 20° angle with the horizontal. Box A is in front of Box B and they are touching. Box A is 2 meters from the bottom of the ramp. The mass of A is 3 kg and the mass of B is 10.5 kg. The coefficient of kinetic...
  37. C

    Trying to find the appropriate motor for a sliding door

    My assignment is to create a sliding door with working motor,mechanical and structure calculations. However I keep having trouble when finding the appropriate motor for the sliding door movement. The doors are both 80kg (Which is 784 Newtons). The entire weight is taken is supported by the track...
  38. jinksys

    Classical Mechanics - Box sliding down a slope

    I'm on pg 56 of Thorton's Classical Dynamics book and I see this: Imgur Link Two questions: 1) Where does the 2 go on the second to last equation. 2) Why v0^2 and not v0 on the integral?
  39. C

    Engineering Trying to find the appropriate motor for a sliding door .Please help

    My assignment is to create a sliding door with working motor,mechanical and structure calculations. However I keep having trouble when finding the appropriate motor for the sliding door movement. The doors are both 80kg (Which is 784 Newtons). The entire weight is taken is supported by the track...
  40. K

    Object sliding down horizontal, frictionless slope, crossing horizontal surface

    Homework Statement block A slides down an 8 m frictionless ramp that is curved 30 degrees above the horizontal. it then crosses a 4m surface that has a coefficient of friction that is 0.20. it then hits a ball and continues moving at 3 m/s. the ball is suspended from a string, kinda...
  41. C

    Bowl Sliding Down Hemispherical Bowl

    Ignore this. :)
  42. D

    Block Sliding, might use work energy theorum

    Homework Statement A block of mass 4.2 kg which has an initial velocity of 3.3 m/s at time t=0, slides on a horizontal surface. If a constant friction force of 10.2N is exerted on the block by the surface, what is the acceleration? Homework Equations Work Energy Theorum? .5 m vo2 -...
  43. B

    Block Sliding Down Circular Ramp (w/ Friction)

    A block of mass m is positioned at the top of a quarter-circle ramp with radius R and friction coefficient μ. To find the velocity v at the bottom, I did the force summation equations in the n- and t-directions and came up with: n: N - mgsinθ = mv^2/R t: mgcosθ - μN = ma I then solve for...
  44. I

    Solving Sliding Object Down Ramp: Horizontal Forces Only?

    I went to ask my teacher for extra help and we were doing a problem about an object sliding down a ramp. When I calculated the Fnet I added all the forces together acting on the box but she said that you only take into account the horizontal forces. Any clarification would be much appreciated!
  45. A

    Sliding Bar in a Uniform Magnetic Field

    Homework Statement A metal bar with length L, mass m, and resistance R is placed on frictionless metal rails that are inclined at an angle \phi above the horizontal. The rails have negligible resistance. A uniform magnetic field of magnitude is directed downward in the figure B. The bar is...
  46. Z

    Solving Sliding Clock Fun with Two Photons

    I was wondering if someone could help me see where I am messing this up: Lets say we have our train with a relative velocity of .5c, Also suppose it is .816ls tall, and that there is a mirror mounted on the floor, another mirror directly above it, and a third mirror about .577m to the rear and...
  47. R

    Finding the Lagrangian of a bead sliding along a wire

    Homework Statement "A bead with mass m slides without friction on a wire which lies in a vertical plane near the earth. The wire lies in the x-z plane and is bent into a shape conforming to the parabola az = x2, where a is a positive known constant. (X is horizontal and z is vertical) The...
  48. L

    Block sliding down an incline then collides with another block question.

    Homework Statement In the diagram below, a block of mass M=17 kg slides down a frictionless inclined plane and collides elastically with another block of mass m=4 kg. If the mass at the top of the wedge is initially at a height of 6 m above the horizontal plane, what is the velocity of m after...
  49. P

    Sliding Ladder Velocity Problem

    1. Homework Statement [/b] This is a pretty simple calculus problem, but I can't figure out why my method fails. A ladder 20 feet long is leaning against the wall of a house. The base of the ladder is pulled away from the wall at a rate of 4 ft/s. Consider the triangle formed by the side of...
  50. D

    Sliding object against air resistance, working out when object comes to rest

    Homework Statement A sledge of mass m = 85 kg has initial velocity v0 = 45 m/s and is moving horizontally along a straight line. The net force acting on the sledge is solely due to air resistance and is given by F = −k v2, where the constant is given by k = 1.2 kg/m. Find where the sledge...
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