What is Sliding: Definition and 731 Discussions

A sliding puzzle, sliding block puzzle, or sliding tile puzzle is a combination puzzle that challenges a player to slide (frequently flat) pieces along certain routes (usually on a board) to establish a certain end-configuration. The pieces to be moved may consist of simple shapes, or they may be imprinted with colours, patterns, sections of a larger picture (like a jigsaw puzzle), numbers, or letters.
Sliding puzzles are essentially two-dimensional in nature, even if the sliding is facilitated by mechanically interlinked pieces (like partially encaged marbles) or three-dimensional tokens. As this example shows, some sliding puzzles are mechanical puzzles. However, the mechanical fixtures are usually not essential to these puzzles; the parts could as well be tokens on a flat board that are moved according to certain rules.
Unlike other tour puzzles, a sliding block puzzle prohibits lifting any piece off the board. This property separates sliding puzzles from rearrangement puzzles. Hence, finding moves and the paths opened up by each move within the two-dimensional confines of the board are important parts of solving sliding block puzzles.
The oldest type of sliding puzzle is the fifteen puzzle, invented by Noyes Chapman in 1880; Sam Loyd is often wrongly credited with making sliding puzzles popular based on his false claim that he invented the fifteen puzzle. Chapman's invention initiated a puzzle craze in the early 1880s.
From the 1950s through the 1980s sliding puzzles employing letters to form words were very popular. These sorts of puzzles have several possible solutions, as may be seen from examples such as Ro-Let (a letter-based fifteen puzzle), Scribe-o (4x8), and Lingo.The fifteen puzzle has been computerized (as puzzle video games) and examples are available to play for free on-line from many Web pages. It is a descendant of the jigsaw puzzle in that its point is to form a picture on-screen. The last square of the puzzle is then displayed automatically once the other pieces have been lined up.

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  1. R

    What is the angle of the plane with respect to the horizontal?

    Homework Statement A block of mass 19.0 kg is sliding down an inclined plane. Due to friction between the block and the plane the block is moving at constant speed. If the coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.24), what is the angle of the plane with respect to the horizontal ? m = 19kg...
  2. J

    Lagrange - A rope sliding off a table - quite difficult?

    Hi people, here's my problem: A uniform, flexible rope of length D, mass M, hangs off a frictionless table-top of height greater than D. The length of the section of rope hanging off is A. Gravity accelerates the part of the rope that is hanging off, so the length of the hanging part increases...
  3. H

    Calculating Mass Sliding on a Slope

    Homework Statement A 15 kg mass is sliding at 30 m/s when it encounters a slope (smooth=no friction) and descends 60 m. It encounters a horizontal rough stretch (friction = 80N in opp. direction). Calculate the velocity at x=0 (rough stretch starts here), x=50, x=100, x=200. Calculate...
  4. hxtasy

    Sliding DFT discrete Fourier transform

    "Sliding DFT" discrete Fourier transform... I was wondering if any of you had had experience with the sliding DFT algorithm. It is somewhat similar to the Goertzel algorithm. I am having some trouble understanding the mathematics of the algorithm, and I also cannot seem to identify a useful...
  5. M

    How would i find the coefficient of sliding friction

    the block is sliding down a wooden plane that has an incline of 22.67 degrees. the block has a mass of 31.0g. also, the block has an acceleration of 16.94m/s^2 Homework Equations f = ma fnormal = (mass x acceleration due to gravity) (cos22.67) (i think?) i tried to find the force...
  6. M

    Sliding friction, position/velocity as a function of time?

    If this question is completely stupid, forgive me, I'm a few years out of university and math and physics are quickly leaving my brain... :) Say a particle has a non zero velocity in one direction and a non zero acceleration in the opposite direction. If you also account for some sliding...
  7. D

    Mechanics - Particle Sliding down a sphere

    Say I had a smooth sphere of radius r, and I placed a particle at the top and it started sliding down the sphere. At which point (lets say the angle to the horizontal with respect to the origin, taking the center of the sphere to be the origin) does the particle separate with (slide off of) the...
  8. M

    What is the relationship between sliding and rolling motion of a ball?

    hi there! I considered the following problem: a ball of radius R on a horizontal plain is at first in rest. Then it receives a horizontal force for a very short time at a point placed 1/3R from the plain and the ball starts moving with initial velocity v_0. There is also a friction when...
  9. A

    Calculating Friction Force in Sliding Block Problem

    A 38.5g block is sliding at 5.0m/s on the upper surface which is frictionless and 1.00m above the lower frictionless surface. The block slides down a ramp that is at an angle of 18.5 degrees. What must the friction force on the ramp be in order for the block to have a velocity of 5.5m/s at the...
  10. M

    Sliding Friction between two Plates as a function of surface roughess

    For our Manufacturing class, one of our take-home quizzes is to find out why, as surface roughness continues to decrease (think of very finely polished materials) the static friction between the plates as you try and slide them will increase. Basically, really rough surfaces will be hard to...
  11. D

    Is the Bead's Motion on a Parabola Correctly Modeled by Lagrangian Mechanics?

    Homework Statement Honestly, this site is more complicated than the problem I'm trying to solve. Like ... everybody... I've changed the equation of the curve. Think simple! A stupid bead slides down a parabola (y=(1/2)x^2 from x=1 to x=0 to the left, ok? I've done Lagrangian mechanics on it...
  12. D

    Frictionless Bead Sliding Down A Parabola

    Homework Statement It seems simple, doesn't it? A bead starts from (0,1/2) and simply slides down the parabola y=(1/2)(x-1)[SUP]2 under gravity. The problem is to get its position rel. to origin in terms of time, ie. r = [x(t),y(t)]. Anyone into this? Homework Equations y' = x-1 = tan...
  13. P

    Work, Velocity, Friction, and Potential Engery with a sliding block

    (Green means correct) Homework Statement In the figure below, a small block is sent through point A with a speed of 8.1 m/s. Its path is without friction until it reaches the section of length L = 12 m, where the coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.70. The indicated heights are h1 = 8.0 m...
  14. F

    Overcoming Friction in of a sliding box

    Okay, i can't figure this out, can anyone help me? here is the problem: A 75 kg box slides down a 25.0 degree ramp with an acceleration of 3.60 m/s squared. a. find mew k between the box and the ramp. b. what acceleration would a 175 kg box have on this ramp? so i got this basic...
  15. 2

    Friction problem involving 2 blocks sliding in 2 directions with 2 frictions

    Homework Statement http://streetrodjohn.home.comcast.net/~streetrodjohn/physics.jpg A 1-kg block is pushed against a 4-kg block on a horizontal surface of coefficient of friction 0.25, as shown in the figure. Determine the minimum force needed to ensure that the 1-kg block does not slip...
  16. P

    Chain sliding off a table, find the function a(t)

    Homework Statement A chain lies on a frictionless table at rest, half off the edge, and half on. As soon as it is let go, it begins accelerating due to gravity only. Determine the acceleration of the chain as a function of time. The mass is m, gravity is g, and the length of the chain is L...
  17. R

    How short a distance to come to a stop without sliding?

    A railroad car has crates in it with a coefficient of .5 w/ the car's floor. The train is moving at 22m/s, how short a distance can it be stopped w/o letting the crates slide? Fnet = 0 because you don't want sliding. a = coefficient of static friction x gravity When I solved for a...
  18. A

    Particle sliding down a frictionless sphere

    Homework Statement A particle of mass m slides down a fixed frictionless sphere of radius R starting from rest at the top. a. In terms of m, g, R, and Θ, determine each of the following for the particle while it is sliding on the sphere. i. The kinetic energy of the particle. ii...
  19. P

    Calculating Energy Transfer for 75kg Boy Sliding Down Hill

    Homework Statement 75 kg boy, starting from rest, slides down a 30 degrees hill htat is 70 m long. He arrives a thet bottom with a speed of 15 m/s. How much thermal energy has been shared btwn the surface of the hill and the seal of his pants Homework Equations d=(vf2-vi2)/2a KE=1/2Mv2...
  20. T

    Solving the Sliding Block Problem: Fig. 4-48

    Homework Statement The block shown in Fig. 4-48 lies on a smooth plane tilted at an angle = 25.0 degrees to the horizontal. Ignore Friction. Determine the acceleration of the block as it slides down the plane. Picture: http://img504.imageshack.us/my.php?image=webassignplanesa0.jpg...
  21. B

    Friction, a sled, snow covered hill, sliding box

    Homework Statement Question Details: A rope attached to a 19.0 kg wood sled pulls the sled up a 18.0 kg snow-covered hill. A 9.0 kg wood box rides on top of the sled. If the tension in the rope steadily increases, at what value of the tension does the box slip? So far none of the...
  22. C

    Related rates - ladder sliding down a wall physics question

    Hopefully I posted this in the right place. The setup is standard - A ladder 10 ft long rests against a vertical wall. The bottom of the ladder slides away from the wall at a rate of 1 ft/sec. If we let y be the vertical distance and x the horizontal distance, we use the Pythagorean theorem...
  23. A

    How Does Seat Angle Affect Book Sliding in a Car?

    Homework Statement A flat book is situated on a seat in a car, which has an angel θ (if θ is zero the seat is horizontal and if it is 90 degrees it is vertical). The coefficient of static friction is μs. (1) What is the largest forward acceleration the car can have, without the book...
  24. J

    Kinematics problem: sliding bar.

    I have been wrestling with this problem for a few days and it is really frustrating me. The image below shows a bar of length l whose endpoints are constrained to move along the lines shown. Point A moves at a constant velocity to the right and I want to find the angle theta as a function of...
  25. 1

    Block sliding down an incline and hitting a smaller block

    Homework Statement In a physics lab, a cube slides down a frictionless incline as shown in the figure (Intro 1 figure) , and elastically strikes another cube at the bottom that is only 1/6 its mass. The picture is located in the attachement. If the incline is 30 cm high and the table is 90...
  26. D

    Block sliding down a ramp in a truck

    Homework Statement In this problem, I am supposed to find something wrong with a formula dealing with the problem. There is a block with mass m on a ramp of height h inside a box truck moving with constant velocity u. The angle of the ramp doesn't matter, as this problem will be using energy...
  27. A

    How far does a sliding block on an incline go before stopping?

    Homework Statement A 5.0 kg block slides along a frictionless horizontal surface with a speed of 7.0 m/s. After sliding a distance of 3.0 m, the block makes a smooth transition to a frictionless ramp inclined at an angle of 40° to the horizontal. How far up the ramp does the block slide...
  28. M

    Particle sliding on a track (cons. of energy problem)

    A particle can slide along a track with elevated ends and a flat central part, as shown in Figure 8-53. The flat part has length L = 40 cm. The curved portions of the track are frictionless, but for the flat part the coefficient of kinetic friction is µk = 0.32. The particle is released from...
  29. C

    Calculating Distance of Block Sliding Down Ramp

    Homework Statement A 1.79-kg block slides down a frictionless ramp, The top of the ramp is h1 = 1.54 m above the ground; the bottom of the ramp is h2 = 0.287 m above the ground. The block leaves the ramp moving horizontally, and lands a horizontal distance away. Calculate the distance...
  30. L

    Kinetic Friction of sliding down a pole

    Homework Statement A firefighter whose weight is 812 N is sliding down a vertical pole, her speed increasing at the rate of 1.45 m/s2. Gravity and friction are the two significant forces acting on her. What is the magnitude of the frictional force? Homework Equations Fk = ukFn uk =...
  31. M

    Block sliding down an inclined plain with gravity

    I am having much trouble with these two questions. When you answer can you please xplain the laws you used and why you did what if you can. Thanks. Please click on url to view question http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/6031/physicshj1.th.jpg http://g.imageshack.us/thpix.php myemail...
  32. C

    Block sliding down ramp, energy problem

    Homework Statement A 1.79-kg block slides down a frictionless ramp, as shown in the figure below. The top of the ramp is h1 = 1.54 m above the ground; the bottom of the ramp is h2 = 0.287 m above the ground. The block leaves the ramp moving horizontally, and lands a horizontal distance...
  33. JJBladester

    Dynamic Equilibrium Question (block sliding on wall)

    Homework Statement http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq230/JJBladester/06_p51.jpg?t=1223753179 The 2.0kg wood box in the figure slides down a vertical wood wall while you push on it at a 45 degree angle. What magnitude of force should you apply to cause the box to slide down at a constant...
  34. D

    The coefficient of sliding friction from a static start.

    Hello all - This is my first post, so please be gentle. I have a general question about the coefficient of sliding friction. An object, say a flat stone, is at rest on an incline at 30 degrees to the horizontal. Is it possible to calculate said coefficient without knowing the mass of an object?
  35. D

    Momentum and Energy sliding blocks

    Homework Statement A cube of mass m slides down a circular path of radius r cut into a larger block of mass M. M rests on a table, and friction is ignored. Both blocks start at rest and m starts at the top of the circular path. What is the velocity v of the the small cube as it leaves the...
  36. D

    What Initial Height Ensures a Block's Force Equals Its Weight at the Loop's Top?

    Homework Statement A block of mass m starts from rest from a height h and slides down along a loop with radius r. What should the initial height h be so that m pushes against the top of the track with a force equal to its weight? (ignore friction) Homework Equations U = mgh K = 1/2 mv^2 F = mg...
  37. A

    How Do You Calculate Mass and Friction in a Two-Block System?

    Homework Statement A mass m1 on a horizontal shelf is attached by a thin string that passes over a frictionless pulley to a 2.8 kg mass (m2) that hangs over the side of the shelf 1.6 m above the ground. The system is released from rest at t = 0 and the 2.8 kg mass strikes the ground at t =...
  38. T

    Magnitude of force on a sliding object- help pleaaase

    Hello everyone..so I am new to this forum. I missed the first couple weeks of my AP physics class due to injury and have so much work to catch up on. The problem is, I need a lot of help even though I'm still at a pretty basic level. I keep mixing up a lot of things. Homework Statement "A...
  39. F

    Halliday and Resnick - Boy sliding down ice mound

    Homework Statement This is from Fundamentals of Physics 8th ed, by Halliday and Resnick: A boy is initially seated on the top of a hemispherical ice mound of radius R = 13.8m. He begins to slide down the ice, with a negligible initial speed. Approximate the ice as being frictionless. At what...
  40. L

    Magnitude of Kinetic Frictional Force on Fireman Sliding Down Pole

    The alarm at a fire station rings and a 96.0-kg fireman, starting from rest, slides down a pole to the floor below (a distance of 3.55 m). Just before landing, his speed is 1.79 m/s. What is the magnitude of the kinetic frictional force exerted on the fireman as he slides down the pole...
  41. J

    What Angle Does the Plumb Bob Make with the Vertical on a Sliding Frame?

    Homework Statement A plum bob suspended from a frame settles to a steady position as the frame slides down a frictionless inclined plane. What is the angle the plumb bob makes with the vertical during the slide? http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/2128/442by1.th.jpg...
  42. B

    A mass sliding down an incline plane with a pulley attached

    Homework Statement A mass m slides on a plane. It is attached to an inextensible massless string, the other end of which is attach to an equal mass. you can assume the pulley is frictionless , but that the surface has a coefficient of static friction. and the frictional force has the form F(f)...
  43. B

    Mass sliding down an incline plane(with friction)

    Homework Statement A mass slides on an incline plane with friction at an angle theta from the horizontal. The mass starts at rest at a height of h1 + h2 and then slides off a ramp at height h1. a) If the coefficient of friction when a block is sliding down a plane is mu, what is the...
  44. M

    A sliding block - what's wrong with my arguement

    I'm trying to solve the http://www.geocities.com/kemboja_4a/problem.JPG". I have done the following, using Newton's Second Law \frac{N}{\sqrt{2}}i + \frac{N}{\sqrt{2}}j - mgj = m(\ddot{x} i + \ddot{y}j) where N is the normal force on the block m. Comparing the coefficients where...
  45. R

    What Happens to Chain Acceleration When the Thread is Burnt?

    Homework Statement Refer to diagram for this question: A uniform flexible chain of length 1.50 m rests on a fixed smooth sphere of radius R=\frac{2}{pi}such that one end A of the chain is at the top of the sphere while the other end B is hanging freely. Chain is held stationary by a...
  46. F

    Maximum potential of a sliding box down a hill

    1. Maximum potential of a sliding box down a hill 1. A 150 kg box (with dimensions of 1.30 m on a side) sits at the top of a hill 4.35 m long angled at 30.0° to the horizontal. The box has 250 loops of wire wrapped around it. The loops lie in the plane of this paper. The box is allowed to slide...
  47. M

    Maximum potential of a sliding box down a hill

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  48. A

    Coefficient of kinetic friction of a sliding crate

    Homework Statement Ugonna stands at the top of an incline and pushes a 100 kg crate to get it started sliding down the incline. The crate slows to a halt after traveling 1.5m along the incline. The initial speed is 2.0 m/s and the angle of incline is 30 degrees. What is the coefficient of...
  49. T

    Sliding heavy crate across rough floor

    Homework Statement You are trying to move a heavy crate by sliding it across a rough floor. Identify the forces involved in actually getting it to move. Homework Equations ?? The Attempt at a Solution forces of gravity, air resistance, friction??
  50. V

    Mechanical energy of a sliding block

    Homework Statement The equation below describes a physical situation: 1/2(1.70kg)(3.30m/s)2 + (1.70kg)(9.8m/s2)(2.35m)sin 30º = 1/2(1.70kg)(1.08m/s)2 + 0.320(1.70kg)(9.8m/s2)(2.35)cos 30º Which description best fits the equation? A. A 1.70 kg block slows down while...
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