Coin tossing as a billiard problem
Journal Article
·
· Physical Review. E, Statistical Physics, Plasmas, Fluids, and Related Interdisciplinary Topics
- Department of Physics, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794-3800 (United States)
We demonstrate that the free motion of any two-dimensional rigid body colliding elastically with two parallel, flat walls is equivalent to a billiard system. Using this equivalence, we analyze the integrable and chaotic properties of this class of billiards. This provides a demonstration that coin tossing, the prototypical example of an independent random process, is a completely chaotic (Bernoulli) problem. The related question of which billiard geometries can be represented as rigid body systems is examined.
- Research Organization:
- New York State University Research Foundation
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG02-88ER40388
- OSTI ID:
- 239408
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. E, Statistical Physics, Plasmas, Fluids, and Related Interdisciplinary Topics, Journal Name: Physical Review. E, Statistical Physics, Plasmas, Fluids, and Related Interdisciplinary Topics Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 52; ISSN 1063-651X; ISSN PLEEE8
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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