Problem 274. Bouncing disk
A disk is placed in a rectangular room with dimensions a and b in a point with coordinates x0 and y0. The disk is given a startup speed V, m/s, the angle between the speed and the x axis is phi, rad. All coordinates have metric dimensions. (See the figure below, just right-click on it and choose open in new tab). The friction factor is nu (always greater then zero). The energy loss caused by bumping the walls is negligible.
Find the resulting position of the disk. The answer should be given with the tolerance greater than 10^-3.
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Image URL: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/NfbXN6dTVzB7e6hoR68t-zSp7SbSk63R42G5Ep8x41pPlF-_yNjECYgzsY52vY7Xi2Ixjg78nJKIIO4Kbd7DdVtbPRdfuBLCfDw=w1600
could you define "friction factor"?
I meant the coefficient of friction
In that case, what are you using for acceleration due to gravity?
For those wondering, it's 9.80665
Thanks to @bmtran, a bug in testing procedures was resolved.
For those still wondering, the disk is dimensionless.
haha
Can't see image.
1. The image url has not been working since quite a long time.
2. The last 2 statements seems contradictory - Friction factor is to be considered but then energy loss from bumping the wall is to be considered negligible?
If the bumping is only considered to be with the vertical wall members, it should have been specified clearly.
I have cleaned up some hard-coded solutions.
Best not to spend time on this problem for the time being.
@Dyuman I agree that the problem description could be MUCH improved... see solution 14777825 for a better explanation (and a detailed solution development).
As for friction: friction happens as the "disk" (really dimensionless, as Rafael pointed out) moves about in the rectangular "room". Bounces at any room boundary are frictionless.
Hopefully the following is a better problem description:
Problem 274. Bouncing Disk (Refined Statement)
A point‑like disk moves inside a rectangular room of width a and height b.
The disk starts at position (x_0, y_0) with an initial speed V (m/s). Its initial velocity makes an angle φ (radians) with the positive x‑axis.
The disk experiences a constant friction factor ν > 0, which causes its speed to decay until it eventually stops. The effective travel distance before coming to rest is finite and given by:
D = \frac{V^2}{2 g \, \nu}
where g \approx 9.80665 \,\text{m/s}^2 is the gravitational acceleration constant.
(This formula reflects the way the original Cody problem defines the friction law.)
The disk moves in straight lines until it collides with a wall. Collisions are perfectly elastic:
- At a vertical wall, the x‑component of velocity reverses sign.
- At a horizontal wall, the y‑component of velocity reverses sign.
No energy is lost in collisions; only the friction factor reduces the total travel distance.
Task:
Simulate the motion until the disk has traveled the full path length D. Return the final coordinates (x, y) of the disk.
Input arguments:
- x0, y0 — initial coordinates of the disk (meters)
- V — initial speed (m/s)
- phi — initial angle relative to the x‑axis (radians)
- a, b — room dimensions (meters)
- nu — friction factor (> 0)
Output:
- x, y — final coordinates of the disk (meters)
Accuracy requirement:
The result must be correct within a tolerance of 10^{-3}.
Problem 274. Bouncing Disk (Formal Restatement)
Consider a point‑like disk moving inside a rectangular domain of width a and height b. The disk is initially located at position (x₀, y₀) and is launched with speed V (m/s). The initial velocity vector makes an angle φ (radians) with the positive x‑axis.
The disk experiences a constant friction factor ν > 0, which causes its speed to decay until it comes to rest. The effective travel distance before stopping is finite and given by
D = V² / (2 g ν),
where g ≈ 9.80665 m/s² is the gravitational acceleration constant.
The disk moves in straight lines until it collides with a boundary. Collisions are perfectly elastic:
- At a vertical wall, the x‑component of velocity reverses sign.
- At a horizontal wall, the y‑component of velocity reverses sign.
No energy is lost in collisions; only the friction factor reduces the total travel distance.
Task: Determine the final position (x, y) of the disk after it has traveled the full distance D.
Inputs:
- x₀, y₀ — initial coordinates of the disk (meters)
- V — initial speed (m/s)
- φ — initial angle relative to the x‑axis (radians)
- a, b — dimensions of the rectangular room (meters)
- ν — friction factor (> 0)
Output:
- x, y — final coordinates of the disk (meters)
Accuracy requirement: The result must be correct within a tolerance of 10⁻³.
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