Physics of quiet and suffocative breathing
The process of breathing is analyzed theoretically by setting up and solving the hydrodynamic equation of motion for air flow, obtaining an expression for the work due to the pressure-drop, viscosity ...
The process of breathing is analyzed theoretically by setting up and solving the hydrodynamic equation of motion for air flow, obtaining an expression for the work due to the pressure-drop, viscosity ...
Three methods for calculating the Feynman propagator
We present three methods for calculating the Feynman propagator for the nonrelativistic harmonic oscillator. The first method was employed by Schwinger a half a century ago, but has rarely been used i...
We present three methods for calculating the Feynman propagator for the nonrelativistic harmonic oscillator. The first method was employed by Schwinger a half a century ago, but has rarely been used i...
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The Braess paradox in mechanical, traffic, and other networks
American Journal of Physics -- May 2003 -- Volume 71, Issue 5, pp. 479-482
Issue Date: May 2003
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We examine a network of strings and springs that exhibit counter-intuitive behavior. When a support string is cut, the load rises instead of falling. Our experimental and theoretical results lead to some general qualitative conditions for the existence of this paradoxical behavior, including effects of nonideal and nonlinear components. A simple procedure is given for doing a classroom demonstration of this behavior. This behavior is analogous to the well-known Braess paradox in traffic networks and also has (not well known) analogs in electrical, hydraulic, and thermal networks. Some new insights into the traffic paradox are gained from a study of the mechanical paradox. ©2003 American Association of Physics Teachers.
| History: | Received 4 September 2001; accepted 15 November 2002 |
| Permalink: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1119/1.1538553 |