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SCThis is a physical demonstration of 15 uncoupled pendulums, each with a slightly different length. Released at the same time, their individual frequencies cause the entire system to create traveling waves, standing waves, beats, and even moments of apparent "chaos".
But nothing here is random. The longest pendulum completes 51 oscillations in 60 seconds. Each shorter one swings one more time than the last, so the shortest (15th) completes 65 oscillations per minute.
Over time, their motions drift in and out of sync, creating mesmerizing wave patterns (all due to small frequency differences).
Each pendulum swings in simple harmonic motion, like a sine wave in space and time. It helps visualizing:
• Constructive and destructive interference
• Phase shifts over time
• Beats, wave patterns, and synchronization
• A real-life, physical Fourier visualization
This is not just a toy, this is actually how oscillatory systems, sound waves, and even quantum states behave. It is pretty much some string, weight, and math together, after all.
(**Originally designed by Richard Berg (Am. J. Phys. 1991), this version was built by Nils Sorensen for the Harvard Natural Sciences Lecture Demonstrations.)
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💡 Learn More:
Pendulum Waves - Harvard University
https://sciencedemonstrations.fas.harvard.edu/presentations/pendulum-waves
[Sources]
(🎞 Pendulum Waves - Harvard Natural Sciences Lecture Demonstrations)
(🎼 Can You Hear The Music - Ludwig Göransson)
(✍️ Description)
1. Berg, R.E. (1991). Pendulum Waves and Frequency Visualization.
2. MIT OCW. Visualizing Phase and Interference in Mechanical Waves.
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