Rotational collisions via inductive coupling

Abstract

We analyze an example of a totally inelastic interaction between two spinning objects from a didactic perspective. We first describe an interpretative model highlighting why a part of the initial rotational energy needs to be dissipated; this point can be visualized in a diagram of capacitive characteristic curves. Subsequently, we propose and discuss a concrete novel experiment, in which an inductive coupling between two spinning objects is realized. A detailed energy analysis and an introduction to dynamical modeling complete the proposed didactical approach.