Forest UCM NLM Oscilations

Skate boarder in Half pipe

Consider a frictionless skateboard released from the top of a semi-circle (half pipe) and oriented to fall directly towards the bottom. The semi-circle has a radius $R$ and the skateboard has a mass $m$.

Note: because the skateboard is frictionless, its wheels are not going to turn.

Determine its equation of motion

Step 1: System

The skateboard of mass $m$ is the system.

Step 1: Coordinate system

Polar coordinate may be a good coordinate system to use since the skateboard's motion will be along the half circle.

300 px

Step 4: External Force vectors

$\vec{F}_g = -mg \cos \theta \hat{r} - mg \sin \theta \hat{\phi}$

$\vec{N} = N \hat{r}$

Step 5: apply Netwon's 2nd Law

$\sum \vec{F}_{ext} = \vec{F}_g + \vec{N} = m \left ( \ddot{r} -r\dot{\phi}^2 \right) \hat{r} + \left ( 2\dot{r} \dot{\phi} +r \ddot{\phi} \right ) \hat{\phi}$

For the case of circular motion at constant $r=R, \dot{r} = 0$

$\vec{F}_g + \vec{N} = m \left ( -R\dot{\phi}^2 \hat{r} + R \ddot{\phi} \hat{\phi} \right )$

The r-hat direction

$mg \cos \theta - N = -m R\dot{\phi}^2$

$N = m \left ( g \cos \theta + R\dot{\phi}^2 \right )$

$N = mg \cos \theta + ma_c$

$a_c = \frac{v^2}{R} = R\dot{\phi}^2 =$ centripetal acceleration

The phi-hat direction

$-mg \sin \theta = mR \ddot \phi$

$\ddot \phi = - \frac{g}{R} \sin \theta$

small angle approximation

If we release the skateboard close to the bottom

Then

$\sin \theta \approx \theta$

This approximation make the differential equation easier to solve as it looks more like the simple harmonic motion typical of a spring.

$\ddot \phi = - \frac{g}{R} \theta$

where

$\omega = \sqrt{\frac{g}{R}} =$ oscillation frequency

The general solution for this second order differential equation may be written as

$\theta = A \cos (\omega t) + B \sin (\omega t)$

Theorem

the solutions of an nth order equation contain n independent constants

Once you have a general solution to a differential equation, your next step is to evaluate the constant A and B using constriant given in the problem such as the initial conditions ( t=0) or boundary conditions.

In this problem we can say that at time t=0

$\theta(t=0) = \theta_0= A \cos (0) + B \sin (0) = A$

and

$\dot \theta (t=0) = 0 = - A \omega \sin(0) + B \cos(0) =B$

thus the specific solution is

$\phi(t) = \phi_0 \cos ( \omega t)$

Forest_UCM_NLM#Oscillatiions