Abstract
We study multiple elastic collisions of a block and a ball against a rigid wall in one dimension. The complete trajectory of the block is solved as an analytic function of time. Near the turning point of the block the force carried by the ball is proportional to 1/x 3, where x is the distance between the wall and the block, in the limit that the block is sufficiently heavier than the ball. This is a unique pure mechanical system that reveals dipole-like repulsion.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1078-1084 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | American Journal of Physics |
| Volume | 80 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2012 Nov 29 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physics and Astronomy(all)