Pendulum Wave

Pendulum Wave shows fifteen pendulums whose lengths are set so each one completes exactly one more swing than its neighbor in a 60 second cycle. The group slides through waves, snakes and apparent chaos, then snaps back into line. Students can adjust the swing angle, drag to orbit the camera and follow the pattern phase readout. It is a striking way to teach that period depends on length, not on the mass of the bob, and a good opener for a lesson on periodic motion and phase.

• Watch the full 60 second cycle and note when all fifteen bobs line up again.
• Change the Swing slider from 5 to 40 degrees and compare how the pattern looks.
• Drag to orbit the view and look along the row to see the pendulums as a single moving wave.
• Follow the Pattern phase readout and predict when the next alignment will happen.
• Compare the shortest and longest pendulums and count how many swings each makes per cycle.

1. 1Explain that a pendulum's period depends on its length.
2. 2Describe how small differences in frequency create phase patterns.
3. 3Predict when a group of oscillators will realign.
4. 4Use the relation T = 2 pi times the square root of L over g qualitatively.

Questions teachers ask