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To get the angular velocity needed for a given parabola:
The forces on a stationary ball are equal, so, where w is the angular velocity, and assuming r' is small, [1] mrw2 cos t = mg sin t
Or,
[2] tan t = (rw2)/g
The general form of a parabola, where k is a constant, is
[3] z = kr2
And, taking the derivative, which is also equal to the tangent of t,
[4] dz/dr = 2kr = tan t
Substituting equation [4] into equation [2] gives
[5] w = (2kg)½
But, if the parabola is anything like [bris] shows in her drawings, you really do have to take the ball diameter into account. The more exact equation, where d is the diameter of the balls, is,
[6] w = (2kg)½ * (r/(r-(d/2 sin t)))½
So, a perfect parabola cannot be used; the surface has to be adjusted according to ball diameter.
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