Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-2012
Department
Physics
Language
English
Publication Title
American Journal of Physics
Abstract
We investigate the trajectories of a small marble constrained to roll on frictionless surfaces, called funnels, of varying shapes. Actual coin funnels have a hyperbolic surface, and here we disprove the common claim that the orbits of the rolling marble or coin are the same as the Kepler orbits for planets revolving around the sun. In fact, it is straightforward to show that for no funnel surface can the Kepler orbits be recovered. Furthermore, we find that the types of trajectories that can arise depend heavily on the funnel shape.
DOI
10.1119/1.4747481
Recommended Citation
English, Lars Q., and A. Mareno. "Trajectories of Rolling Marbles on Various Funnels." American Journal of Physics 80, no. 11 (2012): 996-1000.
Comments
This published version is made available on Dickinson Scholar with the permission of the publisher. For more information on the published version, visit AIP Publishing's Website.
© 2012 American Association of Physics Teachers