"< why forget him. I was referring to him>"
Didn't say forget him, I said forget the section that discusses standing/sitting motions, as they point out that this motion will not start a swing from the rest position.
>A perfect pin has nothing to do with a rod that replaces an ideal rope>
Taken out of context, the following statement clarifies.
> why add a another complication to an already complicated system. And, moreover, by adding another link you are still left with the rope above his hand where I suppose you get another ideal pivot, but what is the point>
To model the physical reality.
"> Those are the strangest free body diagrams I have ever seen."
Thanks. Yours, of course, are invisible to me.
"I don't have a clue."
Given.
I'll admit the fbd's are less than complete, merely a method to try and describe the physics. Fig. 2b tries to describe the motion of the center of mass, ignoring any force input from the upper hinge (pure inertial reaction). The com must shift relative to the upper pivot for this case. Fig. 2c tries to describe the condition where the upper pivot must remain in-line with the center of mass as the rods change their angle relative to each other. The two cases are obviously different. I am trying to figure out why - but the realization that Fig. 2c only applies if the angle is changed very slowly, so that static equilibrium applies, and that fig 2b is the condition when the angle is changed very rapidly, makes me think twice. Like I said, I'd have to grind out the math to prove one way or the other.
> Look in your neighbor's backyard.You don't really think its a rod or it has weight significant enough to change a well developed model. The models that do not allow for a flexible rope are somewhat.>
My neighbor's swing has rods from two pivot points (glider swing). Are somewhat what? I dunno either.
"I now firmly believe that any method of increasing the energy of the system,standing or thrashing will increase the velocity at the 0 position and thus increase the amplitude. Absent friction it will runaway."
Ok, we disagree again I think - standing and sitting won't start a swing from the rest position, only the rocking motion will.
IDS: "Starting from rest you need to displace the rope horizontally at some point, and you can do that by pushing another part of the rope in the opposite direction. Once there is even a small deviation from the vertical you have a source of a horizontal reaction, and can start to move your centre of mass in the horizontal direction."
Yup. It's that first displacement that has me wondering again, but I'm satisfied with that statement if you are.
Good night.