This work presents experimental evidence indicating a reproducible non-zero energy difference in a constraint-coupled mechanical system. The study examines whether the mechanical energy transfer associated with coupled motion may contain a systematic contribution not captured by a simple sum of individually treated terms. The main results are obtained from dynamic projectile measurements in a spring-cart system, with static spring-comparison measurements serving as a secondary qualitative check. A reproducible and non-random dependence of the measured energy difference on the initial configuration parameter is observed. Within the resolution of the present experiments, this behavior is not naturally explained by ordinary instrumental uncertainties alone. The findings are therefore interpreted as indicating the presence of an additional mechanically relevant contribution in coupled motion. The manuscript is intended as a contribution to theoretical and experimental mechanics, with particular relevance to nonlinear behavior in constrained mechanical systems.
Gabor Szertics (Thu,) studied this question.