Here’s one to ponder, includes poll?

[WoodenJefferson]

What is the original question ?

Are we comparing two coins that emerged during the same period with same composition and thus we are comparing actual wear on those coins going through the ACTUAL past-to-present wear/ life cycle....or are we saying in a controlled environment , where there is no hoarding or collecting or setting aside , but pure everyday non-stop usage where both coins were actually spent continually ?

 

There is no control, these 2 coins were released simultaneously by the mint in 1948 into general circulation where they then stayed, being spent by consumers to purchase everyday items.

 

note: They were probably removed from circulation in 1965 when the new composition coins arrived on scene. Still, let's say that they both spent at least 17 years in circulation. The original question is still, which one, the dime or the half dollar arrived at the wear state of XF-45 first?

[Coin]

What is the original question ?

Are we comparing two coins that emerged during the same period with same composition and thus we are comparing actual wear on those coins going through the ACTUAL past-to-present wear/ life cycle....or are we saying in a controlled environment , where there is no hoarding or collecting or setting aside , but pure everyday non-stop usage where both coins were actually spent continually ?

 

There is no control, these 2 coins were released simultaneously by the mint in 1948 into general circulation where they then stayed, being spent by consumers to purchase everyday items.

 

note: They were probably removed from circulation in 1965 when the new composition coins arrived on scene. Still, let's say that they both spent at least 17 years in circulation. The original question is still, which one, the dime or the half dollar arrived at the wear state of XF-45 first?

 

 

Oh, well then , with that in mind ,I'd have to change my original vote...see if we are talking about the actual post-war economy and spending habits , versus two coins being spent randomly regardless of face/intrinsic values ...then I'd say the dime saw much more usage and probably got itself worn down to XF faster...but , hey , I'm a product of the during/post-Vietnam war era , so I wasn't around when these were being spent .

[physics-fan3.14]

I'm talking the height,

 

 

As far as the 5 times pressure do to the weight of both, remember the small area of a woman's high heel creates a lot of psi way over her own weight, same for the dime it may be lighter but it's weight is distributed over an area 3 times smaller.

 

But I do think that these factors pale when compared to the over all difference in total mass difference in the devices of each coin, Ben's head is way bigger than Frank's...

 

I could be mistaken here, but I believe that pressure is irrelevant when it comes to friction

 

Fr=Fn*u, right?

 

Then so would the weight be irrelevant too.

 

But the Fn=mg=weight

 

But what is pressure except for Force/area?

 

Mr. Lange, having studied this and written about it, probably knows what he's talking about a bit more than we do. Hey, Dave, do you have any links to one of the articles you've written on this subject? I would be very interested in reading more.

[coinman1794]

If both coins received the same amount of circulation (and thus wear), the dime would wear to XF45 first because the features are smaller and more delicate than on the half dollar.

 

However it would be hard for two very different coins to receive the exact same circulation conditions. You would have to measure the amount of circulation not by time in circulation, but by number of times the coin was touched.

[rexcat]

I'm talking the height,

 

 

As far as the 5 times pressure do to the weight of both, remember the small area of a woman's high heel creates a lot of psi way over her own weight, same for the dime it may be lighter but it's weight is distributed over an area 3 times smaller.

 

But I do think that these factors pale when compared to the over all difference in total mass difference in the devices of each coin, Ben's head is way bigger than Frank's...

 

I could be mistaken here, but I believe that pressure is irrelevant when it comes to friction

 

Fr=Fn*u, right?

 

Then so would the weight be irrelevant too.

 

But the Fn=mg=weight

 

 

I guess I should back up a bit, after stating the height difference the next reply was “The half's devices might be twice as high, but they will be exposed to five times as much friction.” I took this to mean that the half was exposed to an amount of greater wear equal to its greater weight. Now if weight is a factor in wear then how the weight is distributed do to the surface size would be a factor too.

 

 

 

Your equation F=N x u is “force = coefficient of friction x normal pressure”, this deals with force of fiction needed for continuous motion. In calculating a wear rate you’d need more, like pressure…

 

That's why I said weight was irrelevant, you are honing in on a small part discounting others.

 

But enough of that, getting twisted and going nowhere.

 

[DWLange]

Per physics-fan's question, here's a link to an article in the NGC newsletter:

 

http://www.ngccoin.com/news/viewarticle.aspx?NewsletterNewsArticleID=479

[WoodenJefferson]

Well, the polls are closed and here are the results of this un-official survey. There were a total of 40 votes cast in this simple poll with the division as follows.

 

*21 poll votes or 53% said the Franklin Half Dollar would be the first to wear down to an XF-45

 

*16 votes or 40% of those who took part in the poll said the Roosevelt Dime would reach XF-45 status.

 

*3 votes or only 8% of those who voted thought they would wear equally.

 

The consensus appears to be the Franklin Half dollar by a 13% margin and I’m not overly surprised with these results. Some of the perceptions going into this question were scientific and some were just common sense. Although there is no scientific results to verify the outcome, it is still none the less interesting as to how these results were reached.

 

Thank you for your contribution.