Traveling Along a Zipline

reportActive / Technical Report | Accession Number: ADA551170 | Open PDF

Abstract:

The trajectory of a rider slowly traversing a zipline of fixed length and endpoints is computed, as a one-dimensional illustration of the curving of spacetime by a mass. As the riders weight increases from 0 to 8734, the trajectories uniformly interpolate between a catenary and an ellipse. These results are obtained by balancing forces in the horizontal and vertical directions, so that the treatment is accessible to undergraduate physics majors who have been exposed to finding the numerical roots of an algebraic equation.

Author(s):
Mungan, Carl E. ; Lipscombe, Trevor C.
Author Organization(s):
NAVAL ACADEMY ANNAPOLIS MD DEPT OF PHYSICS
Descriptive Note:
Conference paper
Supplementary Note:
Published in Latin American Journal of Education v5 n1 p5-8 Mar 2011.
Pagination:
0005

Security Markings

DOCUMENT & CONTEXTUAL SUMMARY

Distribution:
Approved For Public Release
Distribution Statement:
Approved For Public Release; Distribution Is Unlimited.

RECORD

Collection: TR
Identifying Numbers
Monitor Series:
XD
 Subject Terms
Joint Capability Areas:
JCA_6.1.1_Wired Transmission; JCA_6_Net Centric; JCA_6.1.3_Switching and Routing; JCA_6.1_Information Transport; JCA_1.2.5_Lessons Learned; JCA_8_Building Partnerships
Communities of Interest:
No COI(s) Identified
Descriptor(s):
*NUMERICAL ANALYSIS, *TRAVERSING MECHANISMS, ALGEBRA, CATENARIES, ELLIPSES, EQUATIONS, EXPOSURE(GENERAL), HORIZONTAL ORIENTATION, LENGTH, ONE DIMENSIONAL, VERTICAL ORIENTATION
Field(s)/Group(s):
Theoretical Mathematics
Report Date:
2011 Mar 01
Creation Date:
2011 Nov 23