On the Motion of a Heavy Body with a Circular Base on a Horizontal Plane and Riddles of Curling

In this paper we discuss the dynamics of an axisymmetric rigid body whose circular area moves upon a horizontal rough surface. We investigate the interaction between the character of the law of friction and the curvature of the body’s trajectory. For the case of a curling stone it is shown that the observed effects can only be explained using the dependence of the friction coefficient on the Gümbel number. The procedure for constructing the law of friction based on experimental data is developed. It is shown that the available data can only be substantiated by means of anisotropic friction. The simplest model of such friction is constructed which provides quantitative coincidence with the experiment.