- #1
granpa
- 2,268
- 7
This isn't homework but nobody is going to believe that so here it is:
at t=1 (or any nonzero value of t)
an ant starts moving across a balloon at velocity
how far does the ant move as a function of time?
the angular velocity of the ant is
The trouble is that this can't be right.
if n>>1 then the ant can never get all the way around the balloon
therefore the angular displacement θ must approach a limit as time goes to infinity.
But log(t) increases without limit.
I've gone over and over it
it seems too simple to be wrong but it must be.
Homework Statement
at t=1 (or any nonzero value of t)
an ant starts moving across a balloon at velocity
v=c=1 (c is the speed of light)
the radius of the balloon as a function of time is given by r(t)=nct (n is a constant much larger than 1)
how far does the ant move as a function of time?
Homework Equations
The Attempt at a Solution
the angular velocity of the ant is
ω(t) = v/r(t) = c/nct = 1/nt
integrating to get angular displacement I get θ(t)=log(t)/n
multiplying by radius to get distance I get d(t) = r(t)*θ(t) = nct*log(t)/n = ct*log(t)
The trouble is that this can't be right.
if n>>1 then the ant can never get all the way around the balloon
therefore the angular displacement θ must approach a limit as time goes to infinity.
But log(t) increases without limit.
I've gone over and over it
it seems too simple to be wrong but it must be.
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