Mechanics Articles

Tag Archive for: mechanics

slinky drop experiment

The Slinky Drop Experiment Analysed

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The slinky drop is a rather simple experiment. In its most basic form, it requires only a popular toy for children, a stable hand, and a keen eye.…
Multi-Atwood Machine Assembly

How to Solve a Multi-Atwood Machine Assembly

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IntroductionThe figure on the right shows a "double-double" Atwood machine with three ideal pulleys and four masses.  All pulleys are released from…
Variable Mass Systems

How to Apply Newton’s Second Law to Variable Mass Systems

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Introduction The applicability of Newton's second law in the oft-quoted "general form"  $$\begin{align}\frac{d\mathbf{P}}{dt}=\mathbf{F}_{\text{ext}}\end{align}$$…
MIT course corrections

Corrections to MIT Open Courseware: Systems of Varying Mass

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Corrections to MIT Open Courseware 8-01sc classical mechanics, fall 2016 Applying Newton's Laws to systems of Varying Mass PDF Course Link My concerns…
rotational mechanics

An Example of Servo-Constraints in Mechanics

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Servo-constraint was invented by Henri Beghin in his Ph.D. thesis in 1922. For details see the celebrated monograph in rational mechanics by Paul Appell.To…
basickinematics

Learn Basic Kinematics in Classical Mechanics

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There is an interesting thing in teaching of Classical Mechanics. Several theorems which presented below form a core part of kinematics for all Russian…
kinematics

Presenting a Rare Kinematic Formula

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Here we present some useful kinematic fact which is uncommon for textbooks in mechanics. Consider a convex rigid body (RB) rolling without slipping…
airplanelift

How Does an Airplane Wing Work? A Primer on Lift

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Many people ask how an airplane wing works, and several answers are commonly given. You might have even seen vigorous arguments between proponents…
errors springs

Frequently Made Errors in Mechanics: Springs

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  1. Springs in Series "A spring of constant ##k_1## is connected in series with a spring of constant ##k_2##.  What is the spring constant…
kinematic errors

Frequently Made Errors in Mechanics: Kinematics

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  Kinematics is the subset of dynamics that only concerns itself with time, displacement, velocity, and acceleration. A problem is…
mistakes moments

Frequently Made Errors in Mechanics: Moments

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 The term "moment" is used in various ways in Physics and Mathematics:Given a force and a reference point, the force has a moment (or…
friction

Frequently Made Errors in Mechanics: Friction

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  1. Direction of the normal Definition: The normal force that body A exerts on body B is that force of minimum magnitude which suffices to…
forces mistakes

Frequently Made Errors in Mechanics: Forces

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 Notation: On this page, a circumflex signifies an average. 1. Forces as vectors A force is a vector, i.e. has magnitude and direction.…