I release two identical balls down these two ramps. Which ball will finish faster and why? There are no hidden tricks and this is a pure physics question.
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asked Feb 7, 2023 at 9:45
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5$\begingroup$ I'm torn a little bit about whether this counts as a puzzle. It's really interesting, yes! But without any numerical information, there is nothing to work out so it really comes down to whether you know it or not - kind of a trivia question. $\endgroup$– hexominoCommented Feb 7, 2023 at 10:13
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$\begingroup$ Without a proper definition for the two slopes this is impossible to answer, and is probably a straight maths question rather than a puzzle anyway. $\endgroup$– fljxCommented Feb 7, 2023 at 10:35
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$\begingroup$ @fljx I don't think it needs to be defined exactly, as the principles behind it work even for paths that are not mathematically perfect. I think it is fine as a question, and can be answered correctly by anyone who has had experience of a traditional rot13(ebyyrepbnfgre). Still, given the amount of discussion, disagreement, and calculation that my previous physics puzzle produced, which was also a question about the big picture of a physics principle, I'm sure many will disagree with my view. $\endgroup$– Jaap ScherphuisCommented Feb 7, 2023 at 12:14
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$\begingroup$ [1] The wavey ramp will block the ball to slow it down , hence the line ramp will be faster [2] The wavey ramp is made of the brachistochrone segments , hence each segment will be faster than the line , hence wavey ramp will be faster [3] The two interactions will cancel out , hence either ramp will take Equal time. [4] The ball is too big hence , it will not fit on a ramp , hence it will roll on the combined ramp , hence it is meaningless to compare. ALL POSSIBILITIES $\endgroup$– PremCommented Feb 7, 2023 at 12:15
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1 Answer
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The ball which will finish faster is
the one at the left side
I can give two reasons, which could be felt...unsatisfying:
The screenshot is probably from this youtube video, where you can witness the result
and
The combination of the problem's complexity but also wide knowledgeness leads me to name it as the "Brachistochrone curve" problem, which is the question of what kind of curve would produce the least time. Numerous books and sites have a lot of information on this.
It is evident that the curves used in the left side are very close to brachistochrone ones
