<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/u6dTB4AqBmk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
poster's description: "Fifteen uncoupled simple pendulums of monotonically increasing lengths dance together to produce visual traveling waves, standing waves, beating, and random motion."
selected comments:
Progressively shorter strings, the ones that are shorter will swing back and forth more quickly than those that are longer.
This is a great way to demonstrate harmonics in audio, which is similar to effect that you hear when you play two or more notes that are an octave apart.
the pendulum formula is: T=2pi(sqrt(L/G)) ... longer L, longer T
You also have to include the fact that, due to the different lengths of the pendulums, they all begin their swings with different potential energy. And, since they are all actually connected to a single cord (pause at around 0.07 and look closely), as they start swinging energy is transferred back and forth between the balls.
Additionally, the string isn't transferring energy at all. the transfer of energy is from kinetic to potential energy due to gravitational acceleration. Whether the cord is one solid cord or not, it doesn't matter. The reason for the patterns created is because the path of each of the balls could be modeled with a sinusoidal equation. And if you did, and put them all on the same graph you would notice that at certain t, they all line up, or some of them line up etc...
poster's description: "Fifteen uncoupled simple pendulums of monotonically increasing lengths dance together to produce visual traveling waves, standing waves, beating, and random motion."
selected comments:
Progressively shorter strings, the ones that are shorter will swing back and forth more quickly than those that are longer.
This is a great way to demonstrate harmonics in audio, which is similar to effect that you hear when you play two or more notes that are an octave apart.
the pendulum formula is: T=2pi(sqrt(L/G)) ... longer L, longer T
You also have to include the fact that, due to the different lengths of the pendulums, they all begin their swings with different potential energy. And, since they are all actually connected to a single cord (pause at around 0.07 and look closely), as they start swinging energy is transferred back and forth between the balls.
Additionally, the string isn't transferring energy at all. the transfer of energy is from kinetic to potential energy due to gravitational acceleration. Whether the cord is one solid cord or not, it doesn't matter. The reason for the patterns created is because the path of each of the balls could be modeled with a sinusoidal equation. And if you did, and put them all on the same graph you would notice that at certain t, they all line up, or some of them line up etc...
