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how do rubber bands work physics

by Timmothy Kihn Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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How do rubber bands work physics? You input potential (stored) energy into the rubber band system when you stretched the rubber band back. Because it is an elastic system, this kind of potential energy is specifically called elastic potential energy.

The stretched rubber tries, so to speak, to become short, thick, and flabby so the molecules will have more room to move around sideways. The rubber band snaps back. So, the elastic quality of rubber comes from its interconnected spaghetti-shaped molecules, and from the tiny, random, jiggling motion of those molecules.Jul 20, 2017

Full Answer

What type of potential energy does a rubber band have?

You input potential (stored) energy into the rubber band system when you stretched the rubber band back. Because it is an elastic system, this kind of potential energy is specifically called elastic potential energy.

How do stretched rubber bands work?

Snappy Science: Stretched Rubber Bands Are Loaded with Potential Energy! The spring constant is different for every rubber band, but can be figured out (see "Welcome to the Guide to Shooting Rubber Bands" below). When the rubber band is released, the potential energy is quickly converted to kinetic (motion) energy.

What is a new theory in rubber band physics?

A new theory explains the force produced by a drastically stretched rubber band. The standard theory works only for modest stretching. How rubber bands work. Standard theory can’t predict the force produced by a rubber band stretched more than a small amount.

Can we predict the force produced by a stretched rubber band?

Standard theory can’t predict the force produced by a rubber band stretched more than a small amount. A new theory handles large stretches of any rubbery material by including extra entropy. You can easily measure the force produced by a drastically stretched rubber band. But the standard theory of rubbery materials can’t predict this force.

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What is the science behind a rubber band?

Natural rubber is made of long chains of molecules called polymers. Because these polymers are so long (they can be thousands of molecules long) they get tangled up in themselves. The result is a property called elasticity, the polymers are elastic. This is why rubber bands are sometimes called elastic bands.

How does rubber band energy work?

0:501:20Rubber band, kinetic energy and useful work | Physics - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipPosition the rubber band converts the potential energy to kinetic. Energy which sets the paper inMorePosition the rubber band converts the potential energy to kinetic. Energy which sets the paper in motion the paper maintains its movement due to inertia.

How do rubber bands change forces?

Yes, a rubber band can change its shape when a force is applied to it and can regain its shape when the force is removed. It is solid in nature but upon the application of force, the shape can change due to the elastic nature of the rubber band.

What force is applied to rubber band?

elastic forceWhen a rubber band is stretched, the force acting on the rubber band is known as the elastic force. When a material is stretched and returned back to its original shape, this property exhibited by the material is known as elasticity.

When a rubber band is stretched it has what energy?

potential energyWhen we stretch a rubber band. The energy transferred to the band is stored as potential energy. The potential energy possessed by the object is the energy present in it by virtue of its position or configuration.

What type of energy is needed to stretch the rubber band?

elastic potential energyYou input potential (stored) energy into the rubber band system when you stretched the rubber band back. Because it is an elastic system, this kind of potential energy is specifically called elastic potential energy.

What happens to the rubber band answer?

It changes shape when extended and returns to its original shape when the applied force is withdrawn. That is why, after being a solid, a rubber band changes shape. Furthermore, if too much stress is applied, the rubber band will snap.

Why do rubber bands stretch?

This occurs because of the unusual polymer structure of rubber. When the long chains get hotter and vibrate, they actually shorten, causing the material to contract. When the chains cool down, they relax and stretch out, causing the material to expand.

Why does rubber stretch even though it's a solid?

The rubber band is considered as solid because as we apply force and stretch the rubber band it changes its shape and gets elongated but after releasing the force, it moves back to its original shape. This property of rubber is known as elasticity.

Does rubberband obey Hooke's Law?

The stretching action of rubber bands follows Hooke's Law, F=k x, for small applied forces. The limit of force for which the rubber band follows Hooke's law depends on the physical properties of the band, such as cross-sectional area.

Is stretching a rubber band push or pull?

An example of this is when a rubber band is being stretched out. The rubber band is being stretched out. The rubber band wants to push back to compress size that then creates a force that pulls both ends of then rubber band.

How much force does a rubber band have?

The rubber band has a mass of 1.09 grams. This puts the specific energy at 1651 J/kg for stretching and 6605 J/kg for twisting.

How much energy is in a rubber band?

The rubber band has a mass of 1.09 grams. This puts the specific energy at 1651 J/kg for stretching and 6605 J/kg for twisting.

Where does the potential energy in the stretched rubber band come from?

Kinetic energy is energy in an object because of its motion. For example, a rubber band that is stretched has elastic potential energy, because when released, the rubber band will spring back toward its resting state, transferring the potential energy to kinetic energy in the process.

What happens when a rubber band is stretched?

A rubber band is an elastic material in nature. When stretched, it changes its shape and when the applied force is removed, it regains its original shape. That is why a rubber band changes its shape even though it is a solid. Also, if excessive force is applied then the rubber band would break.

What kind of energy is in a moving skateboard?

kinetic energyAs the skateboarder moves, her potential energy is converted to kinetic energy (KE), or the energy of motion as her position changes along the track and the velocity changes. The maximum amount of kinetic energy the skateboarder can have is entirely dependent on the amount of potential energy of the system.

How to hold rubber band in place?

Let’s start at the beginning. In order to hold the front of the rubber band in place as the rest is drawn back into a slingshot, your thumb has to keep steady. Even though it remains still, that finger is pushing against the front of the rubber band to counteract the elastic’s backward tug. Essentially, the rubber band and your thumb are shoving up against each other like two very well-matched arm wrestlers. When the rubber band is shot forward, however, the tension from the elastic abruptly disappears, releasing the thumb from this static stalemate—as if one of the two arm wrestlers has suddenly gone slack. With nothing holding it up, the thumb deflects forward. And if the thumb is able to shimmy out of the way before the back of the elastic reaches it, the rubber band proceeds unimpeded. For this to happen, though, the front of the rubber band has to liberate the thumb before the back catches up.

What happens when you shoot a rubber band forward?

When the rubber band is shot forward, however, the tension from the elastic abruptly disappears, releasing the thumb from this static stalemate—as if one of the two arm wrestlers has suddenly gone slack.

What is the dotted line on the rubber band?

The dotted line in the righthand panels shows the movement of the thumb as it deflects forward, out of the path of the back end of the rubber band to its left. Image Credit: James Bird and Alexandros Oratis, Boston University

How to make your thumb work harder?

First, you can give the thumb’s deflection a little extra oomph by using a thick, wide rubber band that’s got a big circumference; this basically makes the thumb work harder to hold the elastic in place, priming the digit to spring forward when it’s set free. (Technically, you could also up your chances by reducing the size of your thumb… but let’s assume this won’t necessarily be under your control, unless you’ve somehow got a couple different sets of hands to choose from.)

What happens if your thumb shimmys out of the way?

And if the thumb is able to shimmy out of the way before the back of the elastic reaches it, the rubber band proceeds unimpeded. For this to happen, though, the front of the rubber band has to liberate the thumb before the back catches up. If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device.

How to fire a rubber band slingshot?

It’s a pretty thoughtless task: Hook a rubber band around your thumb, stretch it backwards with your other hand, and fire. If you’re successful, it takes just a couple milliseconds for that elastic to rocket off the tip ...

How long does it take for elastic to go off your finger?

If you’re successful, it takes just a couple milliseconds for that elastic to rocket off the tip of your finger and commence its arc across the room (perhaps eventually pinging off a wall or the arm of a hapless victim). But occasionally, the endeavor ends with a rubber band smacking up anticlimactically against the back of your thumb—or paperclip, like in this video below:

How do rubber bands work?

How rubber bands work. Standard theory can’t predict the force produced by a rubber band stretched more than a small amount. A new theory handles large stretches of any rubbery material by including extra entropy. You can easily measure the force produced by a drastically stretched rubber band.

What is the new theory of rubber bands?

A new theory explains the force produced by a drastically stretched rubber band. The standard theory works only for modest stretching. How rubber bands work. Standard theory can’t predict the force produced by a rubber band stretched more than a small amount.

What happens when rubber is stretched?

Rubbery materials act like simple springs when they’re not deformed too much. Following the relation known as Hooke’s law, a 10 percent increase in stretching force will make a typical rubber band 10 percent longer. But when rubber materials are stretched to twice their original size or more, that simple linear law fails. The cause of that nonlinearity “has been really challenging the physics community for sixty years,” says Paul Goldbart of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

What is rubber made of?

Rubber is made of flexible long-chain molecules tied together in places by bonds known as crosslinks that connect atoms in adjacent chains.

How did Goldbart and his colleagues modify this theory?

Goldbart and his colleagues modified this theory by including heat-driven movements of the positions of the crosslinks. In their model, rubber’s entropy comes not only from the vibration of molecules between the crosslinks, but also from movement of the crosslinks themselves.

Why does rubber snap back to its original state?

Stretched rubber snaps back to its original state to maximize its entropy, as thermodynamics demands. The classical theory of rubber elasticity, developed in the 1940s, adds together the entropies of the free sections between the fixed crosslinks.

How does rubber return to its original shape?

Physicists describe rubber’s tendency to return to its original shape using the laws of entropy, or disorder. A chain molecule that’s fully stretched has just one way to arrange itself, as a straight line, while an unstretched chain can ravel up in many possible ways–corresponding to a state of higher entropy.

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1.The Physics of a Rolling Rubber Band | Science | AAAS

Url:https://www.science.org/content/article/physics-rolling-rubber-band

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