The problem posed by Hammersley (1983) of finding the shortest path along which a sphere can roll from one prescribed state to another is formulated by using quaternion calculus of variations and optimal control theory. This leads to a system of coupled nonlinear differential equations with prescribed end conditions. From the resulting expression for the curvature, it is shown that the differential equation of the required path in intrinsic coordinates is the same as the equation of motion of a simple pendulum, giving a solution in terms of elliptic integrals.

Excitedstate lifetime measurements: Linearization of the Förster equation by the phaseplane methodRev.

SummaryThe possible steady rates of roll of an aeroplane are determined in the case when inertia cross-coupling is present. This phenomenon not only changes the simple linear relationship between aileron angle and rate of roll, but may lead to more than one possible rate of roll for a given aileron angle. Simplified equations of motion are given for the cases in which the rolling takes place (a) from level flight, (b) during a pull-out manoeuvre. In both cases, these equations, which are non-linear, are solved numerically for typical examples. The static stability of the possible steady motions is considered in detail, and the dynamic stability is determined in the numerical examples.

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