Determination of the coefficient of rolling friction of a hollow cylinder rolling on a curved track using a smartphone’s sensors

Abstract

Abstract This paper demonstrated a simple experiment for determining the coefficient of rolling friction of a hollow cylinder rolling on a curved track using a smartphone’s sensors. We studied theoretically and experimentally the rolling motion of a hollow cylinder uncovered and covered with various materials (synthetic leather and sponge sheets). The smartphone (iPhone 4s) was attached to the end of the hollow cylinder for recording the angular position and angular velocity via the Rolling Cylinder application. The results showed that the coefficient of rolling friction depends on the velocity of the hollow cylinder. We expect that the experiment can be an alternative method for determining the coefficient of rolling friction and will help students better understand rolling motion.