Calculate dieter for maximum exit speed

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around determining the optimal angle for a marble rolling down a ramp to achieve maximum horizontal exit speed. The problem involves concepts from mechanics, specifically energy conservation and projectile motion.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the relationship between the ramp angle and the marble's exit speed, questioning whether steeper angles always yield higher speeds. There is a focus on maximizing the horizontal component of velocity rather than the overall speed. Various equations are presented, and participants discuss the implications of squaring equations and the role of rotational kinetic energy.

Discussion Status

There is an ongoing exploration of the mathematical relationships involved, with some participants providing insights into the nature of the problem. Questions remain about the discrepancies in calculated angles and the effects of including rotational kinetic energy in the analysis.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the importance of distinguishing between total speed and horizontal speed, as well as the implications of different approaches to the problem. The discussion includes references to specific angles and the effects of ramp length and height on the marble's motion.

semc
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During my lab i have to roll a marble down a ramp at different angle. I am required to calculate the angle between the ramp and the table so that the marble will achieve the maximum speed when it slide off the ramp.



mgh=1/2 mv^2
V(in x direction) = Vcosx where V is the velocity of the marble and x is the angle of the ramp to the table.




I equate the 2 equations together and gotten V(in x direction) =(cos x )sqrt 2gh
where h=LsinX. So i equate (cosX)sqrt(sinX)=y and differentiate once and equate to 0. The answer i got was X=45 which is wrong. However, if i change the equation to V^2=2gL(sinX)(cosX)^2, the angle i got was arcsin (1/sqrt3) which is about 35. Why is this so??
 
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I am not sure I understand the experiment. It seems to me that the steeper you make the angle, the higher the speed will be upon exit. The maximum speed is sqrt(2gh) when the incline is 90o and the ball is in free fall.
 
The experiment is releasing a marble from an incline plane and the marble will roll along a straight path after it reaches the bottom of the incline plane. At first i also thought that the steeper the fast the velocity but if the angle is at 90degree then will not be a velocity in the x direction hence the marble will not move once it reaches the bottom of the plane
 
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semc said:
The experiment is releasing a marble from an incline plane and the marble will roll along a straight path after it reaches the bottom of the incline plane. At first i also thought that the steeper the fast the velocity but if the angle is at 90degree then will not be a velocity in the x direction hence the m\thetaarble will not move once it reaches the bottom of the plane

OK. So you want to maximize the horizontal component of the speed, not the speed itself. The way you phrased the question initially is confusing. Look at it this way, the speed at the end of the incline is going to be

v = \sqrt{2gh} =\sqrt{2gLsin\theta} where L is the length of the ramp.

The horizontal component of the velocity is

v_{x} = v cos\theta =(\sqrt{2gLsin\theta})cos\theta

So the problem becomes finding the value of θ for which

cos\theta \sqrt{sin\theta}

is a maximum. Without the radical it would be 45o. With the radical it's something else. Can you find what?
 
kuruman said:
Without the radical it would be 45o. With the radical it's something else. Can you find what?

Whats radical? I know the angle is arcsin(1/sqrt3) i just don't understand why i can't use
cos\theta \sqrt{sin\theta} and if i use (sinX)(cosX)^2 i can get the arcsin(1/sqrt3)
 
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Radical means "the square root symbol." As I said before

v=(\sqrt{2gL sin\theta})cos\theta

I never said you cannot use this expression, in fact this is the expression you must use. But what is the value for θ for which it has the largest possible value? For θ = 0 it is zero and for θ = 90o it is also zero. So somewhere in between 0 and 90o it must go through a maximum.
 
I know what the angle is. I am just asking why is it that when i calculate the maximum value for theta using v=(\sqrt{ sin\theta})cos\theta the answer is 45 but when i square the equation and solve for theta i can get the correct value for theta. Don't mind going through my working in the file attached and tell me which part i did wrongly.
 

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Last edited:
semc;2316257[B said:
]I know what the angle is. I am just asking why is it that when i calculate the maximum value for theta using v=(\sqrt{ sin\theta})cos\theta the answer is 45 but when i square the equation and solve for theta i can get the correct value for theta. Don't mind going
When simplify
sin^3/2(θ) = cos^2(θ)/2sin^1/2(θ)
it becomes
2sin^2(θ) = cos^2(θ)
 
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the marble also have rotational kinetic energy
 
  • #10
andrevdh said:
the marble also have rotational kinetic energy

Indeed it does. The kinetic energy at the bottom will be

K=\frac{1}{2}*\frac{7}{5}m v^{2}

Clearly, including the 7/5 correction due to rotational energy reduces the linear speed at the bottom but does not change the angle at which the horizontal component of the linear velocity is a maximum.
 

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