Brachistochrone on a velodrome

DOI10.1098/RSPA.2020.0153MaRDI QIDQ5160987zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors G. P. Benham, Caroline Cohen, Emmanuel Brunet, Christophe Clanet

Publication date 29 October 2021

Published in Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1908.02224

zbMATH Keywords

optimizationactive particlescyclingmathematical modellingmechanicsapplied mathematicsbrachistochrone

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Kinematics of a particle (70B05)

Abstract: The Brachistochrone problem, which describes the curve that carries a particle under gravity in a vertical plane from one height to another in the shortest time, is one of the most famous studies in classical physics. There is a similar problem in track cycling, where a cyclist aims to find the trajectory on the curved sloping surface of a velodrome that results in the minimum lap time. In this paper we extend the classical Brachistochrone problem to find the optimum cycling trajectory in a velodrome, treating the cyclist as an active particle. Starting with two canonical cases of cycling on a sloping plane and a cone, where analytical solutions are found, we then solve the problem numerically on the reconstructed surface of the velodrome in Montigny le Bretonneux, France. Finally, we discuss the parameters of the problem and the effects of fatigue.

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Cites work

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Cited in

(3)

• Brachistochrone of off-centered cylinders
• Physics of road cycling and the three jerseys problem
• On minimizing cyclists' ascent times

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