Abstract
Stretching and shooting rubber bands is a familiar experience for both children and adults, yet the initial dynamics are so quick that they are generally missed. When a cut elastic strip is stretched from its end and suddenly released, the dynamics depend on a balance of stretching and inertia. However, when a rubber band is stretched, a region of high curvature is created and it is unclear how this curvature affects the dynamics. Here, we demonstrate that during the retraction of a circular rubber band, a wavelength develops at the rear which increases in size as time progresses. Through a combination of experiments and modeling, we investigate the speed at which the back of the elastic retracts and observe a self-similar shape that depends on stretching, inertia, and bending. These retraction dynamics illuminate how a rubber band can pass by a thumb when discharged without hitting it.
- Received 11 August 2018
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.014102
© 2019 American Physical Society
Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)
Focus
Video—Slow-Motion Footage Captures Rubber Band Ripples
Published 4 January 2019
Videos of a moving rubber band show that the band takes on previously unpredicted wavy shapes when it is shot through the air.
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