Fifteen uncoupled simple pendulums of monotonically increasing lengths dance together to produce visual traveling waves, standing waves, beating, and (seemingly) random motion. For more details see sciencedemonstrations.fas.harvard.edu The period of one complete cycle of the dance is 60 seconds. The length of the longest pendulum has been adjusted so that it executes 51 oscillations in this 60 second period. The length of each successive shorter pendulum is carefully adjusted so that it executes one additional oscillation in this period. Thus, the 15th pendulum (shortest) undergoes 65 oscillations. Our apparatus was built from a design published by Richard Berg [Am J Phys 59(2), 186-187 (1991)] at the University of Maryland. The particular apparatus shown here was built by our own Nils Sorensen. Like us on Facebook! www.facebook.com Video courtesy of Harvard Natural Sciences Lecture Demonstrations, © 2010 President and Fellows of Harvard College
Archive for the ‘Harvard’ Category
Pendulum Waves
Saturday, February 4th, 2012Harvard’s Birthday Cake
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012
Harvard University is celebrating its 375th birthday this year, and we needed a REALLY big cake. Joanne Chang (‘91), the owner of Flour Bakery, obliged.
Seth MacFarlane’s Harvard Class Day Speech AS PETER (2 of 4)
Thursday, January 26th, 2012
Seth MacFarlane (creator of Family Guy and American Dad!) gives his advice to Harvard graduates as Peter Griffin. See Parts 3-4 for Stewie and Quagmire.
Harvard Medical School in Motion
Friday, January 13th, 2012
Welcome to Harvard Medical School, where a vibrant community is shaping the future of education and biomedicine. This is a place where bold ideas are incubated, a place where extraordinary individuals working as teams tackle tough problems with unrelenting passion. In the past year alone, the school has moved in exciting new directions, propelled by the expertise and energy of its faculty, staff and students.
2 Harvard Mark IV’s
Monday, January 9th, 2012
Image taken on 2011-07-21 18:01:47 by _Brian_M.
Harvard Comparative Zoology Labs
Thursday, January 5th, 2012
Image taken on 2010-08-17 11:39:03 by Dancing Lemur.
JK Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement
Tuesday, December 27th, 2011
JKRowling at Harvard Commencement. Read more at goo.gl
Mark Zuckerberg Visits Harvard
Monday, December 19th, 2011
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg returns to Harvard.
Bill Gates Speech at Harvard (part 2)
Wednesday, December 14th, 2011
Video of Bill Gates Speech at Harvard
Seth MacFarlane’s Harvard Class Day Speech QUAGMIRE (4 of 4)
Saturday, December 10th, 2011
Seth MacFarlane (creator of Family Guy and American Dad!) gives his advice to Harvard graduates as the womanizer neighbor Glenn Quagmire. See parts 1-3 for more hilarity.