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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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