Posted on 15 October 2011 at 14:26h

One of my students, Oliver from Denmark, sent me a link to this youtube video. I was just about to write a reply to him then thought that I might as well put it on my blog. The effect that makes the interesting patterns is caused due to the changing phase of the different pendula. When they are all in phase it means that they have all completed whole numbers of cycles. The longest and therefore slowest one has completed 52 and the one next to it 53, yes I counted them. I don't have so much time to spare but if you move down the line they should all complete one extra swing in the same time (1 minute according to the timer on the video). Other patterns are caused by other phase relationships. It would be interesting to see how these patterns change as the curve made by the pendula changes. I think I might have to make something in interactive physics.