Sliding weights

fearn · 30th June 2005, 09:34 PM

Hi Rick,

With a perfectly frictionless slide and a perfectly rigid blade, you're right.

The problem is, it won't be frictionless, and since we're talking about steel, there's also the possibility of the weight rebounding off the end of the slide, plus some other weirdness with the sword flexing as it hits that we haven't even mentioned.

I'm wondering, at the moment, which is more important, the basic physics of a sliding weight on a frictionless surface and a rigid blade, or all the ugly complexities. Murphy's Law suggests that the ugly complexities might, be more important. But I'm a pessimist: either I'm right, or I'm pleasantly surprised.

Still, we need some physicists to speak up and point is to the right calculations.

Fearn

30th June 2005, 09:34 PM	#33
fearn Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,247	Hi Rick, With a perfectly frictionless slide and a perfectly rigid blade, you're right. The problem is, it won't be frictionless, and since we're talking about steel, there's also the possibility of the weight rebounding off the end of the slide, plus some other weirdness with the sword flexing as it hits that we haven't even mentioned. I'm wondering, at the moment, which is more important, the basic physics of a sliding weight on a frictionless surface and a rigid blade, or all the ugly complexities. Murphy's Law suggests that the ugly complexities might, be more important. But I'm a pessimist: either I'm right, or I'm pleasantly surprised. Still, we need some physicists to speak up and point is to the right calculations. Fearn