Degrees of freedom of "simple bicycle"

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around modeling a simple bicycle in terms of its degrees of freedom, focusing on the movement and interaction of the wheels and the frame.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the degrees of freedom associated with a bicycle model, questioning the implications of wheel movement and the rigidity of the frame. There is discussion about whether the rear wheel should be considered in the same way as the front wheel in terms of turning.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively questioning the assumptions behind the degrees of freedom, with some suggesting that the rear wheel's movement may be limited compared to the front wheel. There is an ongoing exploration of how to accurately model the system.

Contextual Notes

There are mentions of unusual conditions regarding the rear wheel's ability to turn, and the need to consider the angle of the bicycle relative to the vertical, indicating potential constraints in the modeling approach.

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Homework Statement
Design a very simple model for a bike and state the number of degrees of freedom
Relevant Equations
Generalized coordinates
Hi
I thought that a bike could be simply modeled as two wheels attached by a rigid bar. If the wheels move without sliding, then there is one degree of freedom: one of the wheels moves and so does the other one since they are rigidly attached by the bar. Then, if the wheels can turn to the right or the left, then there are two more degrees: one angle for each wheel.
Is it ok?
 
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in general case the rolling disk (without slipping) has three degrees of freedom
just for information
Screenshot from 2021-04-17 09-41-32.png
Screenshot from 2021-04-17 09-41-58.png
 
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Like Tony Stark said:
Homework Statement:: Design a very simple model for a bike and state the number of degrees of freedom
Relevant Equations:: Generalized coordinates

if the wheels can turn to the right or the left
It would be unusual for the rear wheel to be able to turn away from the line of the bicycle.
 
haruspex said:
It would be unusual for the rear wheel to be able to turn away from the line of the bicycle.
So should I consider just one degree of freedom?
 
Like Tony Stark said:
So should I consider just one degree of freedom?
As @wrobel points put, you also need to consider the angle the bicycle makes to the vertical.
 

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