The Upward-Driven Disk, a Steadily Forced Chaotic Pendulum

Fuente: arXiv
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Autore principale: Maas, Leo
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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_version_ 1866909621285814272
author Maas, Leo
author_facet Maas, Leo
contents An "upward-driven disk" is a novel mechanical device built from LEGO parts. A circular disk is suspended from the point where it is sandwiched between two wheels, making it free to oscillate as a pendulum, but the location of that suspension point on the disk changes with time due to a steady upward driving force applied by rotation of one of the wheels. The pendulum can dynamically flip between hanging downward and being inverted. Depending on the upward drive and the initial conditions, the disk can exhibit steady rotation, periodic motion, or chaotic motion (and some of these for the same drive). This device serves as an easy-to-visualize analog of chaotic phenomena in other physical systems. Most notably, the upward driven disk mimics a simplified version of the celebrated Lorenz equations that are frequently used to describe fluid convection.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_17957
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The Upward-Driven Disk, a Steadily Forced Chaotic Pendulum
Maas, Leo
Classical Physics
Chaotic Dynamics
An "upward-driven disk" is a novel mechanical device built from LEGO parts. A circular disk is suspended from the point where it is sandwiched between two wheels, making it free to oscillate as a pendulum, but the location of that suspension point on the disk changes with time due to a steady upward driving force applied by rotation of one of the wheels. The pendulum can dynamically flip between hanging downward and being inverted. Depending on the upward drive and the initial conditions, the disk can exhibit steady rotation, periodic motion, or chaotic motion (and some of these for the same drive). This device serves as an easy-to-visualize analog of chaotic phenomena in other physical systems. Most notably, the upward driven disk mimics a simplified version of the celebrated Lorenz equations that are frequently used to describe fluid convection.
title The Upward-Driven Disk, a Steadily Forced Chaotic Pendulum
topic Classical Physics
Chaotic Dynamics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.17957