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Classical Mechanics Level 2

Emil Joseph is given a string which does not produce friction with anything in contact with it. He ties it to a hollow ball that has a smaller ball inside it. By fixing the end of the string to a point, the balls are made to oscillate under gravitational force in a perfect vacuum will the oscillation ever stop? There is friction between the balls.

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undeterminable no yes both yes and no

Joseph Amal C X by Joseph Amal C X , 21, India

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3 solutions

Joseph Amal C X
Aug 14, 2015

As friction exists between the balls the oscillation should stop- said by law of conservation of energy.

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If it is only static friction, then friction does no work. Then wouldn't it continue to oscillate forever?

Manvith Narahari - 5 years, 9 months ago
Tejas Arlimatti
Sep 9, 2015

There is contact between the balls, (inner and outer), definitely they will clang with each other, (sound; a form of energy), and there will probably be friction too due to the to and fro motion (heat; again energy). So according to law of conservation of energy, the oscillations will be damped and will stop altogether after an extent.

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Suraj Maidur
Aug 21, 2015

As we know f=m*a , the hollow ball has another small ball in it..as the oscillation begins, the acceleration gradually starts decreasing due to inertia of mass of 2 balls and also the gravitational pull....hence the oscillation stops....Is my way of thinking correct?

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