Vertical Contracted, Nonsupported Drops
Description:
The slinky is held at both ends, is contracted, and is then dropped.
Problems: Fingers unavoidably release different portions of the slinky's bottom at different times, imparting horizontal tilt to the slinky's motion.
Observations:
In both clips, the slinky appears to relax slightly after release. This could be due to air resistance acting on the coils of the slinky. Before the drop, the forces acting on the slinky are an upwards normal force and an equal downward force of gravity. Upon release, gravity acts downward and drag acts upward on the slinky. The drag force may help to separate the slinky's coils slightly, as can be seen near the end of both drops.
Other drop clips:
nvcn1.avi-- slinky begins to rotate much later in its fall, and can be seen to bounce vertically shortly after impact.
nvcn2.avi--slinky appears to impact the floor in a different way, bouncing horizontally afterwards.
