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The Physics of a Rolling Rubber Band

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the thank-god-that-is-solved dept.

sciencehabit writes "Modern physics can get complicated. Sure, researchers know exactly what forces act on a ball rolling down an incline — an experiment that helped Galileo develop universal laws for movement and acceleration. But what happens when a deformable shape like a rubber band rolls around? A new study reveals that the faster it goes, the more squashed it gets (video included)."

2 of 226 comments (clear)

  1. Physics... by Pojut · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...is mind-boggingly awesome. I can't understand the math at all, but I understand the way things generally act. So cool (and so insanely complicated! Think about something like a key being inserted into a lock...and that's just simple, everyday stuff!)

    --
    Living With a Nerd
    1. Re:Physics... by EdZ · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Because air behaves differently at different speeds. Once you got fast enough, shockwaves become the limiting factor rather than fluid fraction. Then you have cavitation, and things like compression heating. What is most efficient at one speed is not most efficient at all speeds.