- theory
: I made these calculations after a question of my son. I
published it in American Journal
of Physics, since I thought it was entertaining material for teaching.
It provides a nice example for hydrodynamics, mechanics, gyroscopic
effect (which I discuss
in details), etc...
- experiments
: experiments were performed in Marseille in the group of Christophe
Clanet, who
has built the experimental setup, together with students from Ecole
Polytechnique
(Paris).
This allows to throw and analyse the motion of a spinning stone, using
a fast camera.
See the movie nearby.
Qualitatively, the theoretical picture is in agreement with
experiments (eg, for collision times,
gyroscopic effect, etc.). However we have obtained some unexpected
results, such as the
existence of an "magical angle" at which the bounce is optimized (see
below).
Collaborators : Christophe Clanet (IRPHE),
Fabien Hersen, ...
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