An other Geek distraction….
The conical pendulum, or a free swinging weight on a line anchored on a hook, has been studied for centuries. Watching its circular movements have brought greater understanding to the movements of the planets and the theory of gravity. A French physicist created a conical pendulum so large, once it was set in motion, it moved through 360 degrees of motion in 24 hours creating a timepiece accurate to within a few seconds per day.
Unlike normal pendulums, like you find in grandfather clocks, two external forces are operating on the pendulum: the downward action of gravity acts upon the mass of the pendulum, and the tension on the line between the mass and the anchor point. It is the interplay between these two forces that, primarily, describe the patterns in which the mass moves.
It’s a beautiful dance, but it’s difficult to see just how elegant and complex the movement is until you find a way to see the movement in context. By sharpening the mass to a point and having it describe its path through a shallow dish of sand, you can see the track the pendulum takes on its regular rhythmic cycle. Back and forth, to and fro, the pendulum swings into gorgeous elliptical loops and whorls. This chrome Pit and Pendulum, while not as sinister as the version Poe wrote about, belongs on your desk, creating art out of science – beauty out of mathematics.
Link: Geek Pendulum
Technorati Tags: Art, Cool, Gadgets, Gift Ideas, Science, Toys, Geek, Pendulum, Geeky, Cube, Show off, Math
Recent Comments