Shoutbox

quote:

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Originally posted by krissy-afc
The gravity will effect the right hand side more though

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no it wont...

there is more mass* on the left, hence, left-side.

The angles are irrelevant in a _frictionless_ environment**...

And since you don't have friction, you also do not need to know the exact figures like mass, angles, length, etc. All you need to know is that one end is longer than the other and that they are both slopes. So, the question isn't actual 'vague' at all.

** Unless the angle would be 0° (flat), in that case the gravitational pull on the left is cancelled out by the counterforce of the flat bed. And since there is nothing to 'hold' the chain on the right (it isn't flat; thus no counterforce), it would move right... very very slowly at first of course, but it will move...

*assuming the total mass of the chain is evenly distributed across its length of course.

PS: A chain isn't going to fall slower if you hold it in a 45° angle than when you hold it in a 90° angle! It would fall just as quick in a frictionless environment.

Or put in another way, if there is no friction, the angle of the slopes don't matter and could also be both 90° for all it matters. Looking it that way I think there would be no doubt that the chain would fall to the left.

This is exactly the same question as what would fall faster in a vacuum: 10Kg feathers or 10Kg lead. The answer is, because there is no friction (air resistance) to take in account: they fall at the same speed. In the real world 10Kg feathers would fall slower because of the air resistance/friction.




*at least I think, no?*

EDIT: no