- #1
Aesops
- 2
- 0
Box on a sphere is nudged-- when does it fall off?
A box of mass "m" is placed on a sphere of radius "r". The box is given an extremely small nudge to get it moving.
(a) What is the maximum speed the ball may have without leaving the sphere?
(b) At what angle from the vertical does the ball last touch the sphere?
I think this is a question requiring energy, so
Ugpe = mgh
KE = mv2/2
But knowing there is a circle involved,
Fc = mv2/r
I'm not sure how to attack the problem... I do know that our physics class has not yet gone over anything beyond Newton's three laws and the concepts of gravitational potential and kinetic energy.
Homework Statement
A box of mass "m" is placed on a sphere of radius "r". The box is given an extremely small nudge to get it moving.
(a) What is the maximum speed the ball may have without leaving the sphere?
(b) At what angle from the vertical does the ball last touch the sphere?
Homework Equations
I think this is a question requiring energy, so
Ugpe = mgh
KE = mv2/2
But knowing there is a circle involved,
Fc = mv2/r
The Attempt at a Solution
I'm not sure how to attack the problem... I do know that our physics class has not yet gone over anything beyond Newton's three laws and the concepts of gravitational potential and kinetic energy.