Thread: Physics Problem
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Unread 28-11-2004, 18:21
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Chris Hibner Chris Hibner is offline
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Re: Physics Problem

As stated before, it depends on the friction between the two spheres and the point of contact.

A very interesting problem is this: how must the sphere at rest be impacted such that it rolls along the frictionless surface without slipping? The answer is that the sphere must be impacted at its "center of percussion".

You won't learn about this until advanced dynamics courses in college, but the concept of "center of percussion" is very important in a lot of areas. In sports, the center of percussion of a baseball bat, golf club, tennis racket, etc. is referred to as "the sweet spot" in laymans terms. That is, when you hit the sweet spot, you can't even feel that you hit anything at all. This is important not only in sports equipment, but also for getting a good ride in a vehicle. Anyway, just something fun to think about.
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