A clear plastic tube, as shown in the photograph below, spirals outward, ending such that a tangent to the spiral is perpendicular to the radius from the center of the spiral to the open end.
A small ball bearing will be blown through the spiral tube, emerging from the end so that it strikes one of the aluminum tubes marked 1 through 5. The question is which of the tubes it will hit.
It might hit either 1 or 2, because the ball has a certain amount of "angular momentum." This angular momentum might cause the ball to continue moving in a circle, perhaps with a slightly greater radius, after it leaves the tube (region (c) on the drawing below).
On the other hand, if the ball is not held in its trajectory - for example by a string or the tube - it might be subject to a large amount of "centrifugal force." After the ball leaves the tube it might move in a somewhat outward path, so that it would hit either 4 or 5 (region (a) on the drawing below).
Or, perhaps it would just go straight and hit number 3 (region (b) on the drawing below).
What do you think will happen, and WHY?
After the ball leaves the spiral tube it will:
Click here for Answer #44 after December 25, 2000.
