🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Nov17.035803.4304@netcom.com> nagle@netcom.com (John Nagle) writes:
>
>      The animation community leads in this area.  See Zeltzer's paper in

Animation community? Are you serious?

>
>      Vehicle dynamics is rather well understood.  The basic work
>was done about two decades ago at Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory
>(now CALSPAN).  There's a great story about how the person who did
>that work, annoyed by people questioning whether he could really
>predict vehicle dynamics in extreme situations, teamed up with an
>auto thrill show to design a never-before-done stunt, a 360 degree 
>roll in the air.  Worked the first time.  Appeared in a James Bond
>movie.
>

This is true, the dynamics of vehicle is understood, under optimal
conditions where all parameters are known. But not all the parameters
are known or can be predicted. Friction can vary greatly due
to roadway/surface conditions. In most cases the best that can be
done is to "bracket" the response of a vehicle based on the highest
and lowest frictions that are expected.

-- 
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Philip Lee Graves, graves@drseus.jsc.nasa.gov
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