DETERMINATION OF THE COEFFICIENT OF ROLLING FRICTION OF A HOLLOW CYLINDER ROLLING ON A CURVED TRACK USING A SMARTPHONE'S SENSOR

Abstract

This research demonstrated a simple experiment for determining the coefficient of rolling friction of a hollow cylinder rolling on a curved track using a smartphone sensor. The rolling motion of a hollow cylinder, both uncovered and covered, with various materials (synthetic leather and sponge sheets) was studied theoretically and experimentally. The smartphone (iPhone 4s) was attached to the end of the hollow cylinder for recording the angular position and angular velocity via the Rolling Cylinder application. The results revealed that the coefficient of rolling friction depends on the velocity of the hollow cylinder. This experiment may provide to be an alternative method to determine the coefficient of rolling friction and help students to better understand rolling motion.

-