Predicting Non-Rigid Body Motion

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the prediction of motion for non-rigid bodies, exploring whether existing formulas for rigid bodies can be applied to non-rigid or fluid bodies, and the complexities involved in such predictions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions the applicability of rigid body formulas to non-rigid or fluid bodies.
  • Another participant asserts that the mechanics remain the same, but the mathematics become more complex.
  • A different viewpoint emphasizes that while center of mass motion is consistent across articulated or soft bodies, there is no general solution for other degrees of freedom (DoF), suggesting the need to formulate a Lagrangian for the system.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the applicability of rigid body mechanics to non-rigid bodies, indicating that the discussion remains unresolved with multiple competing perspectives.

Contextual Notes

There are limitations regarding the assumptions made about the mechanics of non-rigid bodies and the dependence on specific definitions of motion and degrees of freedom.

Albeaver89
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Is there a way to predict the motion of a non-rigid body?
 
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If you drop a cat on the sofa, you can easily predict that it will land paws-down.

Can you be more specific with your question?
 
Well what I mean is, we have all kinds of formulas for rigid bodies, can we just apply them to a non-rigid or fluid body, or are there different mechanics for non-rigid/fluid bodies?
 
The mechanics are the same. The math, however, becomes more complicated.
 
Center of mass motion is exactly the same for articulated or soft bodies. There is no general solution for other DoF, however. You'll have to write down the Lagrangian for the whole thing and see how you can go about solving it.
 

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