1M20.65 - Non-Circular Wheels

Place the square wheel / axel system on the bumpy road (catenary) track.  As the square wheel moves over the track, the axel height remains the same.
See second paragraph of procedure.
See second paragraph of procedure.
Code Number:
1M20.65
Demo Title:
Non-Circular Wheels
Condition:
Excellent
Principle:
Non-Standard Simple Machines
Area of Study:
Mechanics
Equipment:
Square wheel, bumpy track, arc wheel/axel systems.
Procedure:

Place the square wheel / axel system on the bumpy road (catenary) track.  As the square wheel moves over the track, the axel height remains the same.

Place two arc wheel / axel systems on the table and place a board on top of them.  Move the board back and forth and observe the movement of the arc wheels under it.  You will see that the axels move up and down but that the distance from the table top to the board remains the same.  The board moves along on top of the arc wheels with no up and down motion.

References:
  • Thomas B. Greenslade Jr., "Scientific Treasures in My Attic", TPT, Vol. 61, #8, Nov. 2023, p. 702.
  • Thomas B. Greenslade Jr., "An Old Favorite: The Noncircular "Wheel" ",  TPT, Vol. 44, # 4, April 2006, p. 244. 
  • James A. Flaten, "Curves of Constant Width", TPT, Vol. 37, # 7, Oct. 1999, p. 418.  
  • Jeffrey R. Regester, "A Long and Bumpy Road", TPT, Vol. 35, # 4, April 1997, p. 232. 
  • H. Richard Crane, "Three Intuition Teasers", TPT, Vol. 29, # 9, Dec. 1991, p. 593.
  • R. D. Edge, "The Wobbler", TPT, Vol. 28, # 2, Feb. 1990, p. 122.
  • L. Takacs, "The Square Wheel Revisited", AJP, Vol. 62, #12, Dec. 1994, p. 1141.
  • Nelson H. Klein, "Square Wheel", AJP, Vol. 61, #10, Oct. 1993, p. 893.
  • Don Rathjen, Paul Doherty, "Square Wheels", Square Wheels, 2002, p. 113.

Disclaimer: These demonstrations are provided only for illustrative use by persons affiliated with The University of Iowa and only under the direction of a trained instructor or physicist.  The University of Iowa is not responsible for demonstrations performed by those using their own equipment or who choose to use this reference material for their own purpose.  The demonstrations included here are within the public domain and can be found in materials contained in libraries, bookstores, and through electronic sources.  Performing all or any portion of any of these demonstrations, with or without revisions not depicted here entails inherent risks.  These risks include, without limitation, bodily injury (and possibly death), including risks to health that may be temporary or permanent and that may exacerbate a pre-existing medical condition; and property loss or damage.  Anyone performing any part of these demonstrations, even with revisions, knowingly and voluntarily assumes all risks associated with them.