Abstract
ON reference to § 156 of “Rigid Dynamics,” it will be seen that the definition there given is identical with that contained in Dr. Routh's letter of May 25, with the exception that the words “When the bodies” occur in my edition instead of “When bodies.” No statement is made as to what is meant by saying that a body is perfectly rough, and it is against this latter mode of expression that my attack is directed. For this reason it may be maintained that the definition given in the book in which the problem occurs is inapplicable to the problem as at present worded. Otherwise we appear to be dealing with a plank such that in the given circumstances, one of which is resting on a smooth table, the amount of friction necessary to prevent sliding can certainly be called into play, and this is apparently inconsistent with Dr. Routh's interpretation.
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BRYAN, G. Fictitious Problems in Mathematics. Nature 72, 175 (1905). https://doi.org/10.1038/072175c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/072175c0
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