Open Access
2012 Towards a Prototype of a Spherical Tippe Top
M. C. Ciocci, B. Malengier, B. Langerock, B. Grimonprez
J. Appl. Math. 2012: 1-34 (2012). DOI: 10.1155/2012/268537

Abstract

Among spinning objects, the tippe top exhibits one of the most bizarre and counterintuitive behaviours. The commercially available tippe tops basically consist of a section of a sphere with a rod. After spinning on its rounded body, the top flips over and continues spinning on the stem. The commonly used simplified mathematical model for the tippe top is a sphere whose mass distribution is axially but not spherically symmetric, spinning on a flat surface subject to a small friction force that is due to sliding. Three main different dynamical behaviours are distinguished: tipping, nontipping, hanging, that is, the top rises but converges to an intermediate state instead of rising all the way to the vertical state. Subclasses according to the stability of relative equilibria can further be distinguished. Our concern is the degree of confidence in the mathematical model predictions, we applied 3D printing and rapid prototyping to manufacture a “3-in-1 toy” that could catch the three main characteristics defining the three main groups in the classification of spherical tippe tops as mentioned above. We propose three designs. This “toy” is suitable to validate the mathematical model qualitatively and quantitatively.

Citation

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M. C. Ciocci. B. Malengier. B. Langerock. B. Grimonprez. "Towards a Prototype of a Spherical Tippe Top." J. Appl. Math. 2012 1 - 34, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/268537

Information

Published: 2012
First available in Project Euclid: 14 December 2012

zbMATH: 1235.70020
MathSciNet: MR2880828
Digital Object Identifier: 10.1155/2012/268537

Rights: Copyright © 2012 Hindawi

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