A ball that rolls on an incline can remain at rest or accelerate up the incline if the incline itself is accelerating upward. A simple experiment is described to demonstrate the effect, and the results are compared with the theoretical model described by De Luca et al1.
The linear acceleration of a ball that rolls without slipping down an inclined plane is given by the well-known formula a = g sin θ/(1 + k), where θ is the angle of the incline, Icm = kmR2 is the moment of inertia of the ball, m is the ball mass, R is the ball radius, and k = 2/5 for a solid, uniform ball. There are many papers and textbooks describing the acceleration of an object down an inclined plane, but only a few describe the acceleration of an object up an inclined plane.2,3 An...