in a lecture demonstration, a 3.0-m-long vertical string with ten bolts tied to it at equal intervals is dropped from the ceiling of the lecture hall. the string falls on a tin plate, and the class hears the clink of each bolt as it hits the plate. the sounds will not occur at equal time intervals. why? will the time between clinks increase or decrese newar the end of the fall? how could the bolts be tied so that the clinkis occur at equal intervals?
Does not the velocity of fallingincrease depending on how far fell? That is, the upper most bolt willbe traveling the fastest, so it gains some on the lower bolts.
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In this scenario, the reason why the clinks of the bolts hitting the tin plate do not occur at equal time intervals is due to the concept of free fall and acceleration.
When an object is dropped, it falls freely under the influence of gravity. During free fall, the object accelerates constantly due to the force of gravity acting upon it. Acceleration is the rate at which the object's velocity changes over time.
As the string with the bolts falls, the speed of each bolt increases. Since the speed of each bolt is different at every moment, the time it takes for each bolt to hit the tin plate will also be different. This is because the time interval between two consecutive bolts hitting the plate depends on their respective speeds, distances, and acceleration due to gravity.
Near the beginning of the fall, when the bolts have just started dropping, the time intervals between the clinks will be relatively small because the bolts are moving at a slower speed. As the bolts gain speed and fall further, the time intervals between the clinks will increase. This is because the bolts are covering more distance with each subsequent clink, and their speeds are higher.
To tie the bolts so that the clinks occur at equal intervals, the key is to ensure that they all have the same speed throughout their fall. This can be achieved by attaching objects with the same weight and shape to the string. Having equal-sized objects with similar aerodynamic properties will help maintain uniform air resistance, ensuring that each bolt experiences the same amount of resistance as they fall. By achieving this, the bolts will have the same acceleration and fall at a uniform speed, resulting in clinks occurring at equal time intervals.