Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site brl-tgr.ARPA Path: utzoo!linus!gatech!seismo!brl-tgr!gwyn From: gwyn@brl-tgr.ARPA (Doug Gwyn) Newsgroups: net.physics Subject: Re: Monkey business Message-ID: <3080@brl-tgr.ARPA> Date: Sat, 9-Nov-85 19:43:42 EST Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.3080 Posted: Sat Nov 9 19:43:42 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 11-Nov-85 08:05:34 EST References: <2748@brl-tgr.ARPA> Distribution: net Organization: Ballistic Research Lab Lines: 25 Having allowed sufficient time for readers to ponder system instability, now I wish to observe that there is a finite characteristic time for the evolution of the instability (on the order of sqrt(2*h/g), where h is the distance to the pulley and g is as usual the gravitational acceleration; more if the angular momentum of the pulley is substantial), so if the monkey climbs sufficiently fast he can be assured of reaching the top before the counterweight does. For sufficiently fast climbing rate, the position of the counterweight at the end of the monkey's climb is dependent on variables such as rope density and moment of inertia of the pulley. If these are appreciable, the counterweight will remain at its initial position (except to the extent that the system instability has procgressed). If the monkey climbs much more slowly than the characteristic time for system collapse, then the experimental outcome is ill-determined. The in-between behavior could be interesting..