VISCOUS AND NONVISCOUS MODELS OF THE PARTIALLY FILLED ROLLING CAN

We examine the motion of soft drink cans rolling down an incline as a function of the amount of water in the can. Our observations show this behavior to be remarkably complex. We introduce models suggested by t he experimental results which describe the limiting cases of a nonvisc ous fluid and an infinitely viscous fluid, and compare the results of the model calculations to our observations. (C) 1995 American Associat ion of Physics Teachers.