Fifteen uncoupled simple pendulums of monotonically...

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Fifteen uncoupled simple pendulums of monotonically increasing lengths dance together to produce visual traveling waves, standing waves, beating, and random motion.

Credit: Harvard Natural Sciences Lecture Demonstrations
Source and further reading: https://sciencedemonstrations.fas.harvard.edu/presentations/pendulum-waves

Like 5 Apr 2023 at 13:30 | Open on mastodon.social

10 comments

Pensive™️

@wonderofscience
So many variables so little time. Is there an existing formula that can model this behavior?

5 Apr 2023 at 14:49 | Open on mastodon.social

Ariaflame

@PensiveTM @wonderofscience Each pendulum is doing its thing individually depending on the string length. The period depending on 2 * pi * sqrt(L/g) The different lengths mean the periods are different. They just appear to be working together or not, but if the rest weren't there, one of them would move the same way. Though eventually air resistance does stop them.