At least one time in our life, we all crumple a piece of paper into a paper ball to shoot it into the garbage bin. What is the reason for shooting a paper ball instead of the sheet of paper itself. The surface area of the paper ball is more compact than the sheet of paper. Therefore, there is less air resistance for the ball compared to the sheet of paper, which allows the paper ball to travel faster when we try to shoot it. Here is a website that I found on the physics of a paper ball.
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/08/crumpled-paper-physics/
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/08/crumpled-paper-physics/
It's amazing how we can use Physics on everything in our lives even if it's something simple like a paper ball.
Preston Lee
Preston Lee
Wow what an interesting article. I had no idea that crumpling paper was so complex. I like the pictures of the simulation -- it's really beautiful too!
ReplyDelete