4 ms·
The unstable point is at the top of the crest. You would need a vacuum chamber with dampened vibrations to have any chance of it standing there, as any small de
by WhiteSage 8y ago
The unstable point is at the top of the crest. You would need a vacuum chamber with dampened vibrations to have any chance of it standing there, as any small deviation from a perfectly balanced position would make it fall.
- fromthestart 8y agoUnder ideal theoretical conditions, yes. In practice, friction and material deformation will probably give the top of the crest some degree of stability, possibly enough for a demonstration. At the very least it will probably be much slower to roll from such a metastable orientation. Edit: also, based on the following gif someone else posted, I don't think the top of the crest is the metastable point. You can see the object linger at that point before seemingly spontaneously finding true equilibrium - illustrating my point rather well. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gömböc.gif https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gömböc.gif
- derefr 8y agoYou could also just build a version of the object with an internal accelerometer and motor milled into it, that work together against torque. This would make the point of unstable equilibrium into a point of dynamic equilibrium, like a modern jet fighter, or a human being using their core to support their weight, or a hoverboard (but in more dimensions.)