Keaton Scheible
The objective of this project was to create a fun and exciting demonstration that would fascinate people of all ages and get them interested in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The pendulum wave machine helps demonstrate physics concepts, such as periodicity, traveling waves, standing waves, beat frequencies, and gravitational acceleration. The pendulum wave machine is composed of fifteen uncoupled pendulums with monotonically increasing string lengths. All of the pendulums have a common period of 1 minute and the frequency of oscillation of each successive pendulum increases by 1 oscillation per minute. When the pendulums are all held at a common angle and then released, each pendulum oscillates back and forth independent from one another, but when viewed as a whole, the pendulums seem to dance together in harmony at certain times, and it appears to be in complete disarray at other times. After 1 minute, this cycle will repeat itself.
Project Report
Project Summary