Base Feed High Tower model

Since a high tower is in tension, and a base release results in the entire tower cartwheeling out into space, this variant releases the base of the tower, but also feeds in new bodies at the base as the tower rises. As can be seen, this only works for a short while. Some 10 or so new bodies are fed into the base of the rising tower, but as the tower rises its angular velocity falls. The tower is moving too slowly to maintain orbit, and falls back catastrophically.


Each simulation is started/stopped by clicking on the Start/Stop button. With Motion trails unticked, bodies and cables are shown at their present location. In Show trails ticked, bodies and cable motion leaves a trail. The Hold option fixes the radial distance of the lowest body in the tower. The Feed option allows bodies to be fed into the base of a rising tower. The Release option breaks the cable connecting the lowest tower body to the planet. The Shatter option breaks all cables in a tower.

Applets can be restarted by returning to this page, and then reselecting them. Where the models have randomized initialization (as in the Gravitational model and the Elastic model), a new simulation starts each time the applet begins.

The larger the number of bodies and the shorter the time interval used, the slower these simulation models run.