The dropping of a cylinder
Sir Hermann Bondi · European Journal of Physics · 1993
A right circular cylinder is dropped without rotation, but with an arbitrary orientation, on to a horizontal plane. How likely is it to end up on its side or on a base? The problem is solved for the case that the plane is totally inelastic and either perfectly rough or perfectly smooth. The shape of the cylinder, whether thin like a coin, intermediate, or tall, is a critical parameter. A method of estimating the relevant probabilities is suggested for the more realistic case of an imperfectly elastic plane.