Friday puzzler -- how does it move?
Alex Y
This one is probably too easy for you engineers out there, but I found this an interesting challenge without drawing out force vectors.
The image below shows a side view of an experimental "vehicle". The yellow sides keep the axles of the three black rollers in the same relative position. Assume those rollers have good traction, both with each other and with any surface with which they have contact.
Now, place this "vehicle" on a surface and place a stick parallel to that surface across the top of the large roller. Push the stick left to right. What will happen to the vehicle? Will it move, left or right, and at what speed relative to the speed of the stick pushing across the top of the big roller?
