The pendulum wave machine
K P Zetie
Published 23 April 2015 • © 2015 IOP Publishing Ltd • Physics Education, Volume 50, Number 3
Article PDF
341 Total downloads
Export citation and abstract
BibTeX RIS
Share this article
Article information
Abstract
There are many examples on the internet of videos of 'pendulum wave machines' and how to make them (for example, www.instructables.com/id/Wave-Pendulum/). The machine is simply a set of pendula of different lengths which, when viewed end on, produce wave-like patterns from the positions of the bobs. These patterns change with time, with new patterns emerging as the bobs change phase. In this article, the physics of the machine is explored and explained, along with tips on how to build such a device.
education.scichem.com
Usage and citation metrics
Supplementary data
1. Introduction
The pendulum wave machine is a fascinating physics 'toy' with an immediate draw for students and non-physicists, but it is important to be able to capitalize on the interest it generates by explaining what is going on, or guiding students towards an explanation of their own. Without such explanations, the attraction quickly fades and no real benefit is gained.
2. Physical arrangement
The typical device consists of a set of pendula, 15 for example, in a line. Each is attached with two strings in a 'V' and able to swing freely perpendicular to the line made by the bobs. The bifilar arrangement ensures that the bobs swing in a single plane and do not collide.
The bobs must be suspended from a rigid support in order that the pendula are not coupled and the line of bobs is viewed from the end (see figure 1).
Click to drag
Zoom In Zoom Out Reset image size
Figure 1. The side view of the pendulum wave machine.
Download figure: Standard High-resolution Export PowerPoint slide
By making the pendula different lengths, the periods will vary, which is what leads to the interesting phenomena such as different wavelength waves appearing or the bobs swinging exactly out of phase with their neighbours.
2.1. Building a pendulum wave machine
As well as ensuring that the top coupling is rigid, it is necessary to be able to adjust the lengths of the strings in order to get the correct periods. This can be done by, for example, drilling holes in the top support and pulling the strings through, holding them in place with small dowels or plugs. Once set up correctly, a dab of glue will prevent further motion.
3. The theory of the wave machine
With a little thought, the theory is actually quite straightforward. A typical design might be set up with 15 pendula, the first of which has a period of exactly 1 s, so oscillates 60 times in a minute. The next would oscillate 61 times a minute, the next 62 times, and so on, up to 74 oscillations per minute.
In general the frequency of pendulum n (n = 0 to 14) will be f 0 + nΔf, where f 0 and Δf are the frequency of the first pendulum and the frequency difference between pendula.
This generates a linear sequence of bobs undergoing simple harmonic motion (SHM) with phase ft, where t is the time elapsed since release. As each bob has a higher frequency than the next one, the phases (phase phgr = ft) will advance in time, but at any time t there will be a set of points with phases f 0t, (f 0 + Δf)t, (f 0 + 2Δf)t, (f 0 + 3Δf)t, etc. As a series of points of regularly increasing phase, these plot out a sine curve (figure 2). However, as the phase difference between points increases with time, the wavelength of the curve will decrease.
Click to drag
Zoom In Zoom Out Reset image size
Figure 2. The pendula a short time after starting in phase.
Download figure: Standard High-resolution Export PowerPoint slide
With the values chosen, after 1 min all of the pendula will have completed an integer number of cycles and so the process will repeat. After 30 s, neighbouring pendula will be half a cycle out of phase with each other (figure 3). At 20 and 40 s, there is a 1/3 or 2/3 cycle phase shift. All of these are clearly visible in the motion (and in the videos available at stacks.iop.org/PhysEd/50/285/mmedia).
Click to drag
Zoom In Zoom Out Reset image size
Figure 3. The pendula after 30 s, with alternate bobs out of phase by 180°.
Download figure: Standard High-resolution Export PowerPoint slide
If you prefer the bobs to come back in line more quickly—say after M cycles, then simply choose the initial frequency as f 0 and set f 0/M= f 1/(M + 1) = f 2/(M + 2) etc.
3.1. A spreadsheet model
In order to confirm the model and our understanding, we built a simple spreadsheet to animate the positions of the bobs based on the ideal theory presented (the spreadsheet is available at stacks.iop.org/PhysEd/50/285/mmedia). This also calculates the length of the ideal pendulum, l, to produce the frequency required, using
The spreadsheet uses a short piece of VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) code to loop through one minute's worth of oscillations and