Problem with classical mechanics

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a classical mechanics problem involving a cube hinged on the ground and a rod that falls and collides with the cube. Participants explore the conditions under which the cube will rotate after the collision, considering aspects of energy conservation and momentum.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant notes a lack of sufficient information to solve the problem, highlighting that the line of force at impact could affect torque on the cube.
  • Another suggests calculating the potential energy of the rod and its conversion to rotational kinetic energy, but expresses uncertainty about applying conservation of angular momentum.
  • A participant mentions that energy conservation applies only to elastic collisions, while momentum is conserved in both elastic and inelastic collisions.
  • It is clarified that the collision in this problem is elastic, which may influence the calculations.
  • A participant provides a translated version of the problem statement, detailing the parameters of the cube and rod, and emphasizes careful consideration before responding.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the sufficiency of information and the application of physical principles, indicating that multiple competing perspectives exist regarding the approach to solving the problem.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the importance of understanding the conditions of the collision (elastic vs. inelastic) and the implications for energy and momentum conservation, but do not resolve these complexities.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for students or individuals interested in classical mechanics, particularly those dealing with collision problems and energy conservation principles.

TonyEsposito
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Hi guys i have a problem and I'm not able to solve it. I have a cube lying on the ground that is hinged on a side in contact with the floor. Right above the hinge there is a rod hinged (at the start time the rod is horizzontal) and it is long enough to touch the cube when it fall...how much the height must be in order to the rod to be able to rotate the cube after the collision?
prob.jpg
 
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I don't believe you have enough information to solve the problem.

One problem I see is that at impact the line of force could be towards the pivot point of the block. See diagram..

prob.jpg


In that case there would be no torque acting on the block and it wouldn't rotate. The hinge point for the rod might have to be moved a lot higher and the rod made a lot longer to change this angle significantly.

prob1.jpg


One approach would be to calculate the Potential Energy (PE) of the rod in the up position. That would be turned into rotational KE as the rod falls. Then you would need to do some calculations to work out how much energy might be transferred to the block. I'm not quite sure how to tackle that because I think it would be difficult to apply conservation of angular momentum.
 
Ok, thanks for the hints. I used to see this problem in an exam, i thinked about using some energy conservation principle but i have no idea how to proceed ;)
 
Problem is energy is only conserved for an elastic collision. Momentum is conserved for both elastic an inelastic collisions.
 
yeah, i forgot to say that the problem say that the collision is elastic
 
If you have a copy of the problem statement best post that word for word?
 
It's in the italian language, I'm going to translate it as best as i can: "There is a cube of mass M and side length a and it is lying on a plane where an edge of the cube is hinged to that. Vertically above the hinge, at an height h from the plane there is a rod hinged, the rod have a constant linear density p, the rod's length is long enough to be able to touch the opposite edge of the cube. The rod is left falling from an horizzontal position and it collide elastically with the cube. Calculate for which values of h the cube is going to rise from the plane after the collision (warning: think before writing anything and only then write the answer, do not be surprised by the banality of the problem)."
That's all :p
 

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