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Rigid Rotor Collisions

Please see Rotor Collisions for a full description of this subject. Please note that according to the text in the middle of the box, total energy is always constant in this animation. This animation shows the motion of a rigid rotor when it collides with the insides of a rigid-walled box, other rotors, and free discs. When an end of the rotor collides with another rotor or a free disc, its subsequent motion is determined by conservation of linear momentum, angular momentum, and energy of the colliding pair. The angular momentum of the pair is a combination of the linear motion of the center of mass of rotor 1 and the other member of the colliding pair rotor 2/disc and the rotation about the axis of the rotor(s).

In order for the learners to demonstrate these behaviors for themselves, the sliders make all necessary parameters available.

I have deliberately allowed enough slider range that some rotors can become "shaky" or unstable. If that happens, change to less aggressive slider values and press "Reset" and then press "Start" again.