December 2017 Issue, Volume 85, No. 12
How tall can gelatin towers be? An introduction to elasticity and buckling
The stability of elastic towers is studied through simple hands-on experiments. Using gelatin-based stackable bricks, one can investigate the maximum height a simple structure can reach before collapsing. We show through experiments and by using the classical linear elastic theory that the main limitation to the height of such towers is the buckling of the elastic structures under their own weight. Moreover, the design and architecture of the towers can be optimized to greatly improve their resistance to self-buckling. To this aim, the maximum height of hollow and tapered towers is investigated. The experimental and theoretical developments presented in this paper can help students grasp the fundamental concepts in elasticity and mechanical stability.
Editorial
AJP Reviewers by Richard H. Price. DOI: 10.1119/1.5009924
Awards
2017 AAPT Award Citations at the Summer Meeting, Cincinnati, Ohio by Janelle M. Bailey. DOI: 10.1119/1.5012738
Papers
Computerized tomography platform using beta rays by Owen Paetkau, Zachary Parsons, and Mark Paetkau. DOI: 10.1119/1.5008267
The electromagnetic analogy of a ball on a rotating conical turntable by Keith Zengel. DOI: 10.1119/1.5002686
How tall can gelatin towers be? An introduction to elasticity and buckling by Nicolas Taberlet, Jérémy Ferrand, Élise Camus, Léa Lachaud, and Nicolas Plihon. DOI: 10.1119/1.5009667
Tau Zero: In the cockpit of a Bussard ramjet by Heinz Blatter, and Thomas Greber. DOI: 10.1119/1.5009919
Newton's theory of the atmospheric refraction of light by Michael Nauenberg. DOI: 10.1119/1.5009672
Alternative thermodynamic cycle for the Stirling machine by Alejandro Romanelli. DOI: 10.1119/1.5007063
Scattering from a quantum anapole at low energies by Kyle M. Whitcomb, and David C. Latimer. DOI: 10.1119/1.5003377
PHYSICS EDUCATION RESEARCH
Student understanding of first order RC filters by Pieter Coppens, Johan Van den Bossche, and Mieke De Cock. DOI: 10.1119/1.5003805
Apparatus and Demonstration Notes
The desktop muon detector: A simple, physics-motivated machine-and electronics-shop project for university students by S. N. Axani, J. M. Conrad, and C. Kirby. DOI: 10.1119/1.5003806
Back Of The Envelope
Welcome to the Back of the Envelope by Sanjoy Mahajan. DOI: 10.1119/1.5009646
BOOK REVIEWS
The Invention of Science: A New History of the Scientific Revolution by Danielson Dennis. DOI: 10.1119/1.5002680
BOOKS RECEIVED
American Journal of Physics 85, 963 (2017); DOI: 10.1119/1.5009445
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