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. B

    Sliding block transitions to rotation around pivot

    Homework Statement This isn't strictly homework, but the nature of my problem is similar to homework problems: A block with mass m and it's center of mass not necessarily at the center is sliding along a frictionless surface. The center of mass is distance r from the right front corner of...
  2. hb20007

    Sliding Block - True or False?

    Homework Statement It's in the picture attached... Homework Equations None... The Attempt at a Solution I picked options 2, 5 and 7 to be true but 2 turned out to be false. I can't figure out why it's wrong and an explanation would be appreciated. I mean it makes sense to me because work...
  3. M

    Bowling ball goes from sliding to rolling

    Homework Statement A bowling ball is thrown down the alley with speed ##v_0##. Initially it slides without rolling, but due to friction it begins to roll. Show that its speed when it rolls without sliding is ##\frac{5}{7} v_0##. Homework Equations ##K= \frac{1}{2}mv^2 + \frac{1}{2} I...
  4. A

    Sliding Block Attached to a Spring

    Homework Statement A block with mass 2.90kg is attached as shown to a spring with a force constant of 492.0N/m. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the block and the surface on which it slides is 0.170. The block is pulled 5.30cm to the right of its equilibrium position and then...
  5. G

    Solving Sliding Friction Homework: F=ma & Nuk

    Homework Statement So say there was some object on a Horizontal surface. id there was some force on (not constant, but a hit or something) this object and there was a sliding friction between the surface and the object. How would that factor into the F=ma formula? and what if you are given a...
  6. Z

    Particle on a sliding inclined plane

    Homework Statement A particle of mass m slides on the surface of a plane inclined at an angle θ to the horizontal. The plane itself has a mass M and is allowed to slide on a horizontal surface (such that θ remains constant). There are no frictional forces. (i) Write equations of motion for the...
  7. O

    Two blocks sliding down an incline

    Homework Statement The figure shows two packages that start sliding down a 20 degree ramp from a rest a distance d=6.6m along the ramp from the bottom. Package A has a mass of 5.0kg and a coefficient of friction 0.20. Package B has a mass of 10kg and a coefficient of friction of 0.15. How...
  8. S

    Forces and Motion - Sliding a Box Up an Inclined Plane w/ Friction

    Homework Statement You are helping a friend move, and you need to load a 2.65x10^2 kg box of books. You slide the box up a ramp, which has an incline of 30 degrees and a coefficient of static friction of 0.45. You apply the force on the box at an angle of 39 degrees with respect to the ramp...
  9. M

    The Work Done on a Sliding Box: How to Calculate Friction and Applied Force

    Homework Statement A box of mass m is sliding along a horizontal surface. Part A) The box leaves position x=0 with a speed v0. The box is slowed by a constant frictional force until it comes to rest at a position x=x1. Find Ff, the magnitude of the average frictional force that acts on the...
  10. J

    Help Again Please - Box sliding on a floor

    Help Again Please -- Box sliding on a floor Homework Statement If the friction coefficient between the box and the floor is .23, and the box has a mass of 12 kg, and the magnitude of all four forces is 10 N, what is the change in kinetic energy of the box after it has traveled a distance of...
  11. NATURE.M

    Sliding book on a moving shelf

    Homework Statement A copy of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon lies exactly in the middle of an otherwise empty 6.1m long bookshelf in Robarts Library. The coefficient of static friction for the book on the shelf is μS = 11/60 and the shelf has been...
  12. stripes

    Block sliding down a moving plane whose angle of inclination changes

    Homework Statement A bar of soap of mass m is at rest on a frictionless square plate of side-length D rests on a horizontal table. At t=0 I start to raise one edge of the plate the plate pivots about the opposite edge. The angular velocity about the pivot is a constant ω Show that the...
  13. C

    Bead sliding on a rotating rod Lagrangian

    Homework Statement A bead of mass m slides under gravity on a smooth rod of length l which is inclined at a constant angle ##\alpha## to the downward vertical and made to rotate at angular velocity ##\omega## about a vertical axis. The displacement of the bead along the rod is r(t)...
  14. C

    Conservation Of Energy, Block Sliding Down Incline Onto Spring.

    Homework Statement A block of mass m starts from rest at a height h and slides down a frictionless plane inclined at angle θ with the horizontal, as shown below. The block strikes a spring of force constant k. Find the distance the spring is compressed when the block momentarily stops...
  15. M

    What Forces Determine the Sliding of a Block on a Wedge?

    Homework Statement A block of mass 0.80 kg rests on the inclined surface of a wedge of mass 2.0 kg. The wedge is acted on by a horizontal force F and slides on a frictionless surface. If the coefficient of static friction between the wedge and the block is µs = 0.40, and the angle of the...
  16. L

    Distance traveled sliding down incline

    Homework Statement A box is sliding down an incline tilted at a 11.1° angle above the horizontal. The box is initially sliding down the incline at a speed of 1.70 m/s. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the box and the incline is 0.390. How far does the box slide down the incline...
  17. M

    Metal block sliding horizontally

    Homework Statement A metal block of mass m slides on a horizontal surface that has been lubricated with a heavy oil so that the block suffers a viscous resistance that varies as the 3/2 power of the speed: F(v) = -cv3/2 If the initial speed of the block is vo at x = 0, show that the block...
  18. D

    Propagation of error with sliding window of measurement

    Hello, I don't seem to know how to ask google this question so I thought I'd see if I could get an answer from here. Say I have 400 measurements of some variable. I take a sliding window of 50 events and take the standard deviation of each set of 50 events. That would be 350 measurements. Now...
  19. M

    How Is the Smallest Force to Move a Box Up a Ramp Calculated?

    Homework Statement A 19.0 kg box sits on a frictionless ramp with a 14.9° slope. The movers pull up a rope attached to the box to move it up. If the rope makes an incline with the ramp that is 42.0° to the horizontal, what is the smallest force F the mover must use to move the box up the...
  20. E

    Physics Help Greatly Appreciated - Block sliding down ramp

    Physics Help Greatly Appreciated -- Block sliding down ramp A 7.7 kg block is on an incline with a coefficient of static friction of 0.50. The angle that the ramp makes with the horizontal is increased gradually, until the block begins to slide down the ramp. If you know that the coefficient of...
  21. M

    What is the tension at point A below the x-z plane?

    So I am thinking about this problem, and what I don't understand is how at that point A, it is below the x-z plane, but it is not given how far below it is. If I knew, I could solve for the tension in the y-direction and set it equal to the weight. I must be able to use c and 8 in. to get me...
  22. Saitama

    Particle sliding on a thin rod

    Homework Statement A particle of mass m is free to slide on a thin rod. The rod rotates in a plane about one end at constant angular velocity ##\omega##. Show that the motion is given by ##r=Ae^{-\gamma t}+Be^{+\gamma t}##, where ##\gamma## is a constant which you must find and A and B are...
  23. N

    Newton's Law: sliding down a slope

    A snow sled, with total mass 80.0 kg, is lowered at constant speed down a slope of angle 60.0° with respect to the horizontal, for a distance d = 14.0 m. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the sled and the snow is 0.290. Note: g = 9.80 m s–2. 1. What is the work done by the friction...
  24. Saitama

    Acceleration of a Block Sliding on a Wedge

    Homework Statement A 45 degree wedge is pushed along a table with constant acceleration A. A block of mass m slides without friction on the wedge. Find its acceleration. (Gravity is directed downwards.) Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution Let the acceleration of block...
  25. J

    Jumping on a sliding board with no friction between surfaces.

    Homework Statement You stand at the end of a long board of length L. The board rests on a frictionless frozen surface of a pond. You want to jump to the opposite end of the board. What is the minimum take-off speed v measured with respect to the pond that would allow you to accomplish that...
  26. A

    Magnetic Flux of a Wire Sliding on L-Shaped Rail

    A conducting wire slides with constant speed of 1 m/s on a bent L shaped metalic rail. The angke between the wire and the rail is 45 deg and it remains constant during the whole motion of the wire. Perpendicular to the plane of the rail acts a magnetic field B=0.2 T in the X direction (Into the...
  27. E

    Puck sliding accross ice W/ friction and incline

    A puck, weighing 75KG(yes, 75kg) is launched from 0-20m/s in 4.4s. Determine the unbalanced force and acceleration. Fnet=ma A=v/t This PART was easy, A=20/4.4, A=4.55m/s^2. Fnet=75(4.55) Fnet=341.25N Its the next part that gets tricky... The puck, traveling at a constant...
  28. V

    A thin vertical rod sliding until it hits a lump of putty and rotates.

    Homework Statement A thin vertical rod of mass m and length d slides on a frictionless horizontal surface with velocity Vo to the right. It his and sticks to a small lump of putty and rotates about the putty at point O. (a) Find the angular momentum of the rod about O just before and just...
  29. F

    Block sliding down wedge problem

    Homework Statement Homework Equations Conservation of energy The Attempt at a Solution All I'm thinking for this problem is to just use conservation of energy, since the cube is frictionless and it is just sliding down the wedge, aren't the only forces that are at play is just...
  30. Saitama

    Sliding Rings on Rods: Solving for Inextensible String Velocity

    Homework Statement (see attachment) Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution I am not sure about this but as the string is inextensible, the component of velocity of the rings along the string should be equal. O' moves downwards and O moves upwards (not sure but it looks so)...
  31. D

    Effective potential of a particle sliding on an inclined rod

    Homework Statement Hey guys, Here is the question: A pointlike mass m can slide along a rigid rod of length l and negligible mass. One extremity of the rod is fixed at the origin O of an inertial system (x,y,z), and the rod forms a constant angle α with the z-axis. The rod rotates...
  32. N

    Force required to keep a wooden block from sliding on a rough incline

    Homework Statement This thing was a part of an entire question . I solved the other parts but I don't know why I am messing up here . Force required to keep a wooden block from sliding on a rough incline with coefficient of friction μ Homework Equations Force on a block on an...
  33. S

    Mass sliding down incline (incline is able to move)

    Homework Statement There is a frictionless incline with a "block" mass on it. The incline and the mass are able to move. The mass of the block is m and the mass of the incline is M. I am supposed to find a suitable set of generalized coordinates and write the Lagrangian of the system, then...
  34. G

    The maximum speed the truck can go without sliding

    Homework Statement A crate of eggs is located on the back of a truck. The truck rounds a circular bend in the road with radius of 35 meters. If the coefficient of static friction between the crate and the truck is 0.6, what is the maximum speed the truck can go without the crate...
  35. T

    Angular momentum sliding beam

    Homework Statement A uniform beam with mass M = 156 kg and length L = 2.3 m slides broadside down along the ice at a speed of v0 = 9 m/s. A man of mass 88 kg, who is initially at rest grabs one end of the beam as it goes past and hangs on as the beam and man go spinning down the ice. Note...
  36. Z

    Spring constant for a block sliding PE and KE

    1. An .8kg block is held in place against the spring by a 67 N horizontal external force. The external force is removed, and the block is projected with a v1=1.2. upon separation for the spring. The block then descends a ramp and has a velocity v2=1.9 m/s at the bottom. The track is frictionless...
  37. T

    Finding the Range of a Bullet Fired from a Sliding Incline

    Homework Statement A college student holds a gun in a horizontal position while sliding down a 55.0° incline at a constant speed of 8.00 m/s. How far will the bullet travel with a velocity of 5m/s if the student fires the gun when it is 10.0 m above the ground? Homework Equationsy=y0+...
  38. I

    Understanding Work and Energy: A Short Guide

    Homework Statement http://postimage.org/image/sezpli4pv/ Having some difficulty understanding some concepts of Work and Energy. Homework Equations W = F * D KE = 1/2 mv^2 PE = mghThe Attempt at a Solution A) Speed is at B is less than the speed at D, because B has more PE than D B) False...
  39. P

    What is the maximum mass of the ring in a beads sliding down a ring problem?

    Homework Statement A single large circular Olympic ring hangs freely at the lower end of a strong flexible rope firmly supported at the other end. Two identical small beads each of mass 30 kg are free to slide symmetrically without friction around the ring (the ring passes through the holes...
  40. G

    Kinetic energy of a block sliding down a ramp

    Homework Statement You observe that after sliding down a distance of 2.61 m along a 5 m long track that is inclined at 20 degrees to the horizontal, a block of wood has a velocity of 0.13 m/s. If the coefficient of kinetic friction between the wood and the surface of the track is 0.40, what...
  41. A

    Kinetic energy of ball sliding down slope with electric field?

    Kinetic energy of ball sliding down slope with electric field?? Homework Statement As shown in the figure above, a positively charged ball is placed at point A and slides down the slope from rest. The area has a uniform electric field E = 26.1 N/C, pointing to the right. The mass of the...
  42. B

    Rope Sliding Over Friction less Peg

    Homework Statement A uniform rope of mass M and length L is hung off a small peg. The rope moves without friction. Obtain an equation for the length of the rope hanging to the right of the peg, which is denoted x(t). Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution I set up a net...
  43. N

    Angular Momentum of a sliding disc about a point on the floor

    Hi everybody, A seemingly straightforward example from lecture is causing me some confusion. The example was about calculating the angular momentum of a sliding disk (not rolling) about a point on the floor. The result given in lecture says the distance to the point on the floor is unrelated...
  44. V

    How Fast Does a Block Slide Down a Ramp with Friction?

    Homework Statement Block slides down a 1 meter ramp at a 30 degree angle. The coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.4 what is the block's speed at the bottom of the ramp? Homework Equations kineticFriction force = coefficient of friction X normal Force normal Force = force of...
  45. N

    Rope Sliding off a Peg problem

    Homework Statement A limp rope with a mass of 2.5 kg and a length of 1.2 m is hung, initially at rest, on a frictionless peg that has a negligible radius. The rope is hung such that 0.8m hangs off the longer end, and 0.4m off the lower end. What is the vertical velocity of the rope just as...
  46. R

    Minimum coefficient of friction to keep cars from sliding off the road

    A banked circular highway curve is designed for traffic moving at 61 km/h. The radius of the curve is 201 m. Traffic is moving along the highway at 44 km/h on a rainy day. What is the minimum coefficient of friction between tires and road that will allow cars to take the turn without sliding off...
  47. S

    Sliding Ramp and Freefall problem

    I typed this up on MP's Whiteboard, but the tutors were taking way too long to respond: (question is also attached) Edit: Units are in meters. Questions asks to Find h (small h defining the height of the ramp). The exact moment the object leaves the ramp, it would have components Y=gsin(30) and...
  48. D

    Calculating Time for Sliding Chain through Hole

    Homework Statement A flexible chain of mass M and length L lies on a frictionless table, with a very short portion of its length L0 hanging through a hole. Initially the chain is at rest. Find a general equation for y(t), the length of chain through the hole, as a function of time. (Hint: Use...
  49. L

    Angle required to keep block from sliding down plane

    Homework Statement Here's a picture of the set up. I need to find out what angle I need to have the plane raised to so that the blocks aren't moving. Homework Equations F = ma The Attempt at a Solution For the first block F_k=μ_kF_N F_T+F_N-μ_kF_N+2mgcosθ+2mgsinθ=0 Since...
  50. Z

    Two boxes sliding down inclined plane

    Homework Statement A block with m=20kg is sliding on top of a block of M=10 kg that is sliding down an inclined plane with 30 degrees to the horizontal. All surfaces are frictionless. Calculate the acceleration of the blocks.Homework Equations Newtons second law: F⃗ net=ΣF⃗ =ma⃗ The Attempt...
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