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Autor/inn/en | Mareno, A.; English, L. Q. |
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Titel | The Stability of the Catenary Shapes for a Hanging Cable of Unspecified Length |
Quelle | In: European Journal of Physics, 30 (2009) 1, S.97-108 (12 Seiten)
PDF als Volltext |
Sprache | englisch |
Dokumenttyp | gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz |
ISSN | 0143-0807 |
DOI | 10.1088/0143-0807/30/1/010 |
Schlagwörter | Equations (Mathematics); Science Instruction; Science Experiments; Mechanics (Physics); Teaching Methods; Computer Software; Computer Uses in Education; Photography; Scientific Principles; Graphs; Undergraduate Study; College Science |
Abstract | It has long been known that when a cable of specified length is hung between two poles, it takes the shape of a catenary--a hyperbolic cosine function. In this paper, we study a variation of this problem. First, we consider a cable hanging between two poles in which one end of the cable is fixed to one pole; the other end of the cable runs over a pulley, attached to the other pole, and then down to a table. Here, the length of the cable can vary as the pulley rotates. For a specified horizontal distance between the two poles, we vary the height of the fixed cable end. We then determine both experimentally and analytically the stability of the resulting catenary-cable shapes. Interestingly, at certain heights there are two catenaries of different lengths--we use Newtonian mechanics to show that only one of these is stable. Below a certain critical height, no catenary exists and the cable is pulled down to the table. Finally, we explore a related problem in which one end of the cable runs over a pulley, but the other end can now freely move vertically along a pole. These experiments nicely lend themselves as teaching tools in a classroom setting. (Contains 2 tables and 7 figures.) (As Provided). |
Anmerkungen | Institute of Physics Publishing. The Public Ledger Building Suite 929, 150 South Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 215-627-0880; Fax: 215-627-0879; e-mail: info@ioppubusa.com; Web site: http://www.iop.org/EJ/journal/EJP |
Erfasst von | ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC |
Update | 2017/4/10 |