Gravity Drop Challenge - A real physics challenge!
Gravity Drop Challenge: starting at the same height, and ending at a same lower height, which path will take the shortest amount of time? The straight line (red marble) or the wavy longer path (blue marble)? The weird thing is that both marbles will have identical speeds at the finish line- yet one gets there quicker. The physics problem of finding the curve of fastest descent is called the brachistochrone problem- from the Greek words brakhistos ‘shortest’ and khronos ‘time’- and it is not a straight line. The fastest curve turns out to be the cycloid