What makes a Slinky go down the stairs?
So how does the Slinky “walk” down a flight of stairs? To do this, the Slinky slowly flips end over end. If you watch closely, you’ll see it stretches to reach the next step down, reforms itself, then stretches again to reach the next step, and so on.
What type of energy is a Slinky moving down a set of stairs?
(As the Slinky moves down the steps, kinetic energy is transferred from coil to coil along its length in a longitudinal wave. The speed of the wave depends on the tension and mass of the coil.
What are the forces acting on a Slinky?
Assuming a vacuum, the pertinent forces acting on this Slinky as a whole are the force of gravity, a tension force from the object holding the top of the Slinky, and spring tension within the Slinky. Initially, the Slinky is stretched out in hanging equilibrium.
What is Slinky spring in physics?
A slinky is a pre-compressed helical spring. It was invented by Richard James in the early 1940s. It can perform a number of tricks, such as traveling down a flight of stairs, while moving end over end. It can also appear to levitate for a period of time after it has been dropped.
Who makes the original Slinky?
engineer Richard James
Mechanical engineer Richard James invented the Slinky by accident. In 1943, he was working to devise springs that could keep sensitive ship equipment steady at sea. After accidentally knocking some samples off a shelf, he watched in amazement as they gracefully “walked” down instead of falling.
What type of energy does a Slinky have because of its shape?
Likewise if a Slinky is stretched and let go, it will pull itself back to its original shape, that means that there’s potential for energy in the Slinky’s shape. This is another form of potential energy called elastic potential energy.
Why do we use slinky springs in physics?
Held from midair, the Slinky stretches out, quickly reaching a condition known as “equilibrium.” in which the downward force of gravity is balanced by the upward tension of the coils above it. When the top is released, the bottom stays suspended. The top of the Slinky collapses, so that the coils slam into each other.
How does the slinky walk down a flight of stairs?
So how does the Slinky “walk” down a flight of stairs? To do this, the Slinky slowly flips end over end. If you watch closely, you’ll see it stretches to reach the next step down, reforms itself, then stretches again to reach the next step, and so on. This process is possible because of gravity and the Slinky’s own momentum.
What is the physics of a slinky?
Amazing Slinky physics. This potential energy is ‘released’ and converted to kinetic energy – the form of energy governed by motion – when acted on by an external force (in the case of the Slinky, this is when it is pushed over the top step). Finally, moving objects possess momentum, which is the product of their combined mass and velocity.
Is it theoretically possible for a ferromagnetic Slinky to travel down spiral stairs?
Is it theoretically possible for a ferromagnetic slinky to travel down a “magnetic” spiral staircase analogously to how it goes down a ‘linear’ staircase. I believe it is but I couldn’t convince myself (in particular my recall of the properties of the magnetic field isn’t great).
What happens when the slinky walks down a gentler slope?
When the Slinky walks down a gentler slope, it will move more slowly, but will walk farther because the momentum is steady. Can’t get enough Slinky physics?