23 Jan 08
Originally posted by AThousandYoungSure but that would tend to tilt the cup even further back, remember, the front tires tend to go up in the air, the back tires down so the tilting would be made worse by the change in tilt of the whole car, so that would make things worse from a tilting cup perspective. The 45 degree angle of the liquid would of course only last as long as the acceleration, a few seconds at most. You can assume the road is smooth so there will be no bumps up and down.
If the CoG moved up, there must be a countering motion. Conservation of momentum. Does the car bounce down onto it's shocks a little bit due to this?
25 Jan 08
Originally posted by AThousandYoungDoes that make sense? I can't tell, but does somebody know? If the cup was perfectly level with respect to the direction of acceleration, would it slosh up the side or no?
The center of gravity will shift horizontally but not vertically with a horizontal acceleration. The extra coffee in the back is removed from the front. The up-down position of the COG will not change.
26 Jan 08
Originally posted by mrjonesvich321This is a good question. What exactly happens to a liquid in a cylinder as the cylinder is accelerated smoothly horizontally?
Does that make sense? I can't tell, but does somebody know? If the cup was perfectly level with respect to the direction of acceleration, would it slosh up the side or no?