scott wrote:

> Yes, sounds like an idea for a nice little bit of code, with support for 
> all those rotational pendulums, multiply connected pendulums and so on.  
> Maybe even magnets too :-)

Heh. I already did the magnets part, remember? ;-)

> Actually they have one of these in (IIRC) the science museum in London, 
> the pendulum is like 3 or 4 stories high.

Well since I was *in* the London Science Museum on Monday [hence this 
post], allow me to elaborate:

- They have a Foucault Pendulum which is indeed several stories high (6 
IIRC). A small electric motor keeps it swinging. The direction of its 
swing varies depending on the time of day due to precession.

- They also have a dual-elliptic harmonograph, which is a small 
table-sized machine with a pair of pendulums. Apparently the simple ones 
have two that swing at rightangles, controlling each axis of the pen. 
This one has pendulums that can swing in any direction - I'm not really 
sure how that affects the pen... The weights are adjustable to change 
the swing frequency.

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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