How Long Will It Take for the Entire Chain to Slide Off the Table?

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The discussion centers on calculating the time it takes for a chain, initially one-third hanging off a table, to slide off completely. Participants explore using conservation of energy and momentum, debating the correct approach to account for the chain's motion and potential energy. There are concerns about the problem's clarity, particularly regarding whether the entire chain moves or just a part of it. The conversation highlights the complexities of modeling the chain's descent, including potential energy changes and the implications of horizontal motion. Ultimately, the participants aim to derive a correct integral to solve for the time taken for the chain to fall off the table.
  • #101
That is the equation that can be obtained as indicated by Orodruin in #35. So its solution is known.
haruspex said:
But it does not assume a nonzero mass undergoes an infinite acceleration. It is only infinite in the limit as dt tends to zero, and dm is also zero in that limit.

That still sounds like an infinite acceleration to me. But, as I said earlier, taking care of this and other nuances moves the problem into a different league.
 
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  • #102
ehild said:
Do you mean the differential equation ##\frac{d^2x(t)}{dt^2}=\frac{g}{L}x(t)##?
It is a very simple second order linear de with constant coefficients, a homogeneous one. You will learn about them soon.
Try the solutions in the form x=ekt. You get a quadratic equation for k, with two roots, k1 and k2. The general solution of the de is the linear combination of the two solutions, belonging to k1 and k2. X=c1 ek1 t+c2 ek2t.

ehild
Thank you ehild. You really help me a lot! :) I am just a beginner in calculus.
I looked for the solution of second differential equation in senior secondary school mathematics book but I didn't found it. It only contain the solution of linear differential equation. I think I will learn about them later.:rolleyes:
But I will try to learn about it through internet.:w
 
  • #103
Satvik Pandey said:
I looked for the solution of second differential equation in senior secondary school mathematics book but I didn't found it. It only contain the solution of linear differential equation. I think I will learn about them later.:rolleyes:
But I will try to learn about it through internet.:w
Do not run. Wait till you learn about them in school.

ehild
 
  • #104
ehild said:
Do not run. Wait till you learn about them in school.

ehild

Thanks ehild. I will follow your advice.:)
 
  • #105
I know that you won't. :D

ehild
 
  • #106
ehild said:
I know that you won't. :D

ehild
:D
Yes I will try to learn about them but not now. :rolleyes:
 
  • #107
I found equation in #post 41 by a slightly different method.:rolleyes:

As ##\frac { d(mv) }{ dt } =\frac { M }{ L } (x)g##

so ##mv\frac { d(mv) }{ dt } =\frac { M }{ L } (x)g\times mv##

or ##mv\frac { d(mv) }{ dt } =g{ \left( \frac { M }{ L } \right) }^{ 2 }{ x }^{ 2 }\frac { dx }{ dt\\ } ##

Let ##s=mv##

So ##\frac { { s }^{ 2 } }{ 2 } ={ \left( \frac { M }{ L } \right) }^{ 2 }\frac { { x }^{ 3 } }{ 3 } +c##

now ##c=-{ \left( \frac { M }{ L } \right) }^{ 2 }\frac { { x }_{ 0 }^{ 3 } }{ 3 } ##
putting this value I got

##\frac { { v }^{ 2 } }{ 2 } =\frac { g }{ 3 } \left( x-\frac { { x }_{ 0 }^{ 3 } }{ { { x }^{ 2 } } } \right) ##

or ##{ v }^{ 2 }=\frac { 2g }{ 3 } \left( x-\frac { { x }_{ 0 }^{ 3 } }{ { { x }^{ 2 } } } \right) ##

or ##\int _{ { x }_{ 0 } }^{ x }{ { \sqrt { \frac { 2g }{ 3 } \left( x-\frac { { x }_{ 0 }^{ 3 } }{ { { x }^{ 2 } } } \right) } }^{ -1/2 } } dx=\int _{ 0 }^{ t }{ dt } ##
This is what haruspex found in #post 41.:D
 
  • #108
I have a confusion.
If a part of a chain is piled up on a table and rest part of it hangs from the table.And suppose we are asked to find the time in which whole chain falls off the table then will it's answer be the solution of the last equation in post #107?
 
  • #109
Satvik Pandey said:
I have a confusion.
If a part of a chain is piled up on a table and rest part of it hangs from the table.And suppose we are asked to find the time in which whole chain falls off the table then will it's answer be the solution of the last equation in post #107?
If you assume no elasticity, yes. If there is elasticity it becomes very difficult. There may be longitudinal oscillations.
 
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  • #110
haruspex said:
If you assume no elasticity, yes. If there is elasticity it becomes very difficult. There may be longitudinal oscillations.
Thank you!
Is solution in #post107 correct?
 
  • #111
Satvik Pandey said:
Thank you!
Is solution in #post107 correct?
Apart from the additional /2 in the final integral, which I assume is a typo, it is fine.
 
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  • #112
Orodruin said:
Apart from the additional /2 in the final integral, which I assume is a typo, it is fine.
Thank you!
Oh! Sorry, that was a typo.
 
  • #113
ehild said:
Do not run. Wait till you learn about them in school.

ehild

I think I solved that.

As ##\frac { { d }^{ 2 }x }{ { dt }^{ 2 } } =\frac { gx }{ l\\ } ##

or ##\frac { dv }{ dt } =\frac { gx }{ l } ##

or ##\frac { vdv }{ dt } =\frac { gx }{ l\\ } \frac { dx }{ dt } ##

or ##vdv=\frac { gx }{ l\\ } dx##

or ##\frac { { v }^{ 2 } }{ { 2 } } =\frac { g }{ l\\ } \frac { { x }^{ 2 } }{ { 2 } } +c##

at ##t=0## ##v=0## and ##x=x_{0}##

So ##c=-\frac { g{ x }_{ 0 }^{ 2 } }{ 2l } ##

or ##\frac { { v }^{ 2 } }{ 2 } =\frac { g }{ l } \frac { { x }^{ 2 } }{ { 2 } } -\frac { g{ x }_{ 0 }^{ 2 } }{ 2l } ##

or ##\frac { dx }{ dt } =\sqrt { \frac { g }{ l } \left( { x }^{ 2 }-{ x }_{ 0 }^{ 2 } \right) } ##

or ##\sqrt { \frac { l }{ g } } \int _{ { x }_{ 0 } }^{ l }{ \frac { dx }{ \sqrt { \left( { x }^{ 2 }-{ x }_{ 0 }^{ 2 } \right) } } } =t##

or ##\sqrt { \frac { l }{ g } } { ln|{ x }+\sqrt { \left( { x }^{ 2 }-{ x }_{ 0 }^{ 2 } \right) } | }_{ { x }_{ 0 } }^{ l }=t##

Is it right ehild?:D
 
  • #114
It is correct, Satvik. Good job! :cool:
That was the hard way to do it.

The easy method is when one has studied differential equations, and recognises that it is a second order linear DE with constant coefficients.
One knows that the solutions are of the form x=eλt.
Replacing back the trial solution into the DE, you get an equation for the constant λ.

λ2=g/l; λ1=√(g/l), λ2=-√(g/l). Let be k= √(g/l). There are two independent solutions: y1=ekt and y2=e-kt.

Again, when you studied differential equations, you know, that any linear combinations of the independent solutions are a solution again.

So you can write up the general solution as x(t)=c1ekt+c2e-kt.

Fit the constants to the initial conditions: at t=0 x(0)=x0 and v(0)=0---> c1+c2=x0.
v(t)=c1kekt-c2ke-kt
v(0)=0=k(c1-c2).

The constants are c1=c2=x0/2 . The solution is x(t)=(x0/2) ( ekt+e-kt). You need to solve it for t when x=l.ehild
 
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  • #115
ehild said:
It is correct, Satvik. Good job! :cool:
That was the hard way to do it.

The easy method is when one has studied differential equations, and recognises that it is a second order linear DE with constant coefficients.
One knows that the solutions are of the form x=eλt.
Replacing back the trial solution into the DE, you get an equation for the constant λ.

λ2=g/l; λ1=√(g/l), λ2=-√(g/l). Let be k= √(g/l). There are two independent solutions: y1=ekt and y2=e-kt.

Again, when you studied differential equations, you know, that any linear combinations of the independent solutions are a solution again.

So you can write up the general solution as x(t)=c1ekt+c2e-kt.

Fit the constants to the initial conditions: at t=0 x(0)=x0 and v(0)=0---> c1+c2=x0.
v(t)=c1kekt-c2ke-kt
v(0)=0=k(c1-c2).

The constants are c1=c2=x0/2 . The solution is x(t)=(x0/2) ( ekt+e-kt). You need to solve it for t when x=l.ehild

Thank you.:)
 
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