- #1
tehrv
- 11
- 0
Yes, very catchy title. But it also happens to be true! Here's the windup: This question comes from the Halliday and Resnick edition that was used in the 80's. I was a grad student at the time at a very prestigious department and somehow this question came to my attention. I couldn't figure it out. Soon, there was a group of four grad students losing sleep over it. I even took it to a very famous theoretical physicist. He smiled and laughed out loud, because he didn't see an obvious answer. Decades later, I ran into the author of another widely used freshman textbook and he just said well if the famous guy couldn't figure it out, neither could he! So this has bothered me for going on three decades. Hopefully somebody here can put my mind at ease. Remember, this is supposed to be freshman level.
It is a "qualitative" question.
Drum roll...
If you take a flat object (like a book) and slide it along a surface where there is friction, why does it stop translating and rotating at the same time?
That's all there is to it. You can quickly verify that it is true. But why?
I'm sorry if you lose some sleep!
It is a "qualitative" question.
Drum roll...
If you take a flat object (like a book) and slide it along a surface where there is friction, why does it stop translating and rotating at the same time?
That's all there is to it. You can quickly verify that it is true. But why?
I'm sorry if you lose some sleep!