wasser@viking.DEC (John A. Wasser) (11/04/85)
Path: decwrl!greipa!pesnta!amd!amdcad!lll-crg!seismo!brl-tgr!gwyn > The monkey, rope, pulley, weight system is inherently UNSTABLE I disagree. When the monkey isn't pulling on the rope, everything comes to a stop. > whether the monkey or the weight rises fastest is critically dependent > on initial conditions. The initial conditions were clearly stated: Monkey and weight were at the same height and at rest. > It is funny to watch so many people try to defend one of the many possible > outcomes as being the one true answer. Please describe how more than one outcome can arise from the specified initial conditions? -John A. Wasser Work address: ARPAnet: WASSER%VIKING.DEC@decwrl.ARPA Usenet: {allegra,Shasta,decvax}!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-viking!wasser Easynet: VIKING::WASSER Telephone: (617)486-2505 USPS: Digital Equipment Corp. Mail stop: LJO2/E4 30 Porter Rd Littleton, MA 01460
levy@ttrdc.UUCP (Daniel R. Levy) (11/10/85)
In article <1232@decwrl.UUCP>, wasser@viking.DEC (John A. Wasser) writes: >> The monkey, rope, pulley, weight system is inherently UNSTABLE > I disagree. When the monkey isn't pulling on the rope, everything > comes to a stop. >> whether the monkey or the weight rises fastest is critically dependent >> on initial conditions. > The initial conditions were clearly stated: Monkey and weight > were at the same height and at rest. >> It is funny to watch so many people try to defend one of the many possible >> outcomes as being the one true answer. > Please describe how more than one outcome can arise from the > specified initial conditions? > -John A. Wasser Well, imagine this situation. Imagine that the monkey has VERY heavy feet. Now say the monkey is hanging onto the rope and has its legs drawn up underneath it. All of a sudden, the monkey kicks downward with all its might. Result? The rest of the monkey will be propelled significantly UPWARD because of the inertia of the heavy feet. This takes force off of the rope, and the weight on the other side will pull that side downward. Perhaps the monkey would reach the pulley without having to climb at all (could this be repeated? Could the monkey draw its feet back up, however gradually, without causing an equivalent motion on the opposite side?) And what if the monkey starts to swing back and forth on the rope? That will result in added so-miscalled "centrifugal" force on the monkey side, which would draw the weight upward, without any climbing on the part of the monkey? Just thought I'd put in some more "monkey business." -- ------------------------------- Disclaimer: The views contained herein are | dan levy | yvel nad | my own and are not at all those of my em- | an engihacker @ | ployer or the administrator of any computer | at&t computer systems division | upon which I may hack. | skokie, illinois | -------------------------------- Path: ..!ihnp4!ttrdc!levy