A Stupid Dangerous Toy - but HOW dangerous???

[sologretto]

Ok. I admit this is potentially VERY stupid, but I'm curious.

 

From the Math I've done (more accurately let http://pacer.calpoly...cer/gforce.html do for me) a cylinder with a diameter of 60m (r=30) rotating @ 6rpm would produce 1.13G of centripetal force. If this cylinder was horizontal to the ground and one stood in this cylinder (assuming they were strapped in until the unit was up to speed) then they would experience 5 seconds of 2.13G decreasing to .13G followed by 5 seconds of returning to the 2.13G in a continuous cycle.

 

While this alone would be an AWESOME experience, what would happen if one chose to jump? While they could theoretically leap almost 12-15 feet at .13G, we can probably agree this would be a dangerous unto deadly experience. However what if they chose to jump only 3 feet?

 

 

Would the linear velocity of the mass (jumper) cause it to re-intersect with the "floor" and reaccelerate before losing too much momentum?

- OR -

Would the jumper decelerate so quickly that they would lose enough centripedal force to start falling to the bottom of this 60M cylinder? (obviously much more likely if they jumped on the way up...)

 

 

Anyone have ideas as to what variables I should input into different equations to figure this out?

 

Thanks!

 

P.S. - Why Yes... I AM thinking about playing a bastardization of soccer and basketball in a giant 60 meter metal cylinder rotating at 42.165 mph (http://www.endmemo.c...s/rpmlinear.php)

 

 

 

 

--- edit ---

 

hrm... I just occurred to me that the 10 foot jump might not be so deadly. With a 2.5 second to the 90 degree point a best effort leap at the worst possible time would result in re-contacting the cylinder edge before gaining or losing too much momentum. This might not be so dangerous!

Edited September 19, 2011 by sologretto

[CaptainPanic]

The velocity of the outside of the cylinder (the surface you're standing on) is about 19 m/s, which is much faster than you can run. Still, if you walk backwards in the cylinder, you might just lose your 0.13 G, and actually fall out.

 

The question is of course where you would hit the cylinder again... since you would still have some movement in the direction of the rotation of the cylinder, you certainly wouldn't fall straight down. You would hit the cylinder on the way back down.

 

Simple highschool balistics formulas can solve this problem of the jumping up or walking backwards.