Bowling ball pendulum wave
September 10, 2014 10:00 PM Subscribe
A mesmerizing pendulum wave demonstration with 16 bowling balls in a North Carolina forest. [Previously]
Lustworthy. I want one in my yard.
posted by five fresh fish at 11:54 PM on September 10, 2014
posted by five fresh fish at 11:54 PM on September 10, 2014
This is exceptionally neat.
posted by carping demon at 12:11 AM on September 11, 2014
posted by carping demon at 12:11 AM on September 11, 2014
Here's a desktop version, one with flaming balls, one with trippy glowing balls, and a spiral/radial version.
posted by Rhomboid at 12:35 AM on September 11, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by Rhomboid at 12:35 AM on September 11, 2014 [5 favorites]
Here's a tip - even when it seems like the balls are entirely out of order they describe points on a sign wave, it's just that the period is small relative to the sampling rate (e.g. the distance between the balls) so that it looks like they've gone all random - do not try to explain this to your mother.
Don't ask me how I know this.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 1:17 AM on September 11, 2014 [4 favorites]
Don't ask me how I know this.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 1:17 AM on September 11, 2014 [4 favorites]
I have three children.
I watched the video, got about half way through and child one walked past the computer.
Cool, what's that? So I started the video again, got about halfway through then child two walked past. Wow, what's that?...
The third child has now seen the video.
posted by mattoxic at 1:44 AM on September 11, 2014 [5 favorites]
I watched the video, got about half way through and child one walked past the computer.
Cool, what's that? So I started the video again, got about halfway through then child two walked past. Wow, what's that?...
The third child has now seen the video.
posted by mattoxic at 1:44 AM on September 11, 2014 [5 favorites]
mattoxic: "I have three children.
I watched the video, got about half way through and child one walked past the computer.
Cool, what's that? So I started the video again, got about halfway through then child two walked past. Wow, what's that?...
The third child has now seen the video."
Are your children dangling from the ceiling on differently-lengthed strings?
posted by chavenet at 1:56 AM on September 11, 2014 [46 favorites]
I watched the video, got about half way through and child one walked past the computer.
Cool, what's that? So I started the video again, got about halfway through then child two walked past. Wow, what's that?...
The third child has now seen the video."
Are your children dangling from the ceiling on differently-lengthed strings?
posted by chavenet at 1:56 AM on September 11, 2014 [46 favorites]
Are your children dangling from the ceiling on differently-lengthed strings?
Or in Newton's cradle?
posted by twoleftfeet at 4:28 AM on September 11, 2014
Or in Newton's cradle?
posted by twoleftfeet at 4:28 AM on September 11, 2014
The video is very cool. I almost didn't click it because I was underwhelmed by the gif. I'm really glad I did.
posted by OmieWise at 4:34 AM on September 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by OmieWise at 4:34 AM on September 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
Ah, so that's how the Grateful Dead did it. Square roots!
posted by alms at 5:15 AM on September 11, 2014
posted by alms at 5:15 AM on September 11, 2014
How about one made of people?
(I made it)
posted by sixswitch at 5:19 AM on September 11, 2014 [40 favorites]
(I made it)
posted by sixswitch at 5:19 AM on September 11, 2014 [40 favorites]
Wow, sixswitch, that's awesome! Can you say more about how you made it? How did each person calculate their timing?
posted by alms at 5:24 AM on September 11, 2014
posted by alms at 5:24 AM on September 11, 2014
My money would be on having each person wearing earbuds that play a metronome click track set at carefully chosen tempos to control each person's step rate. Doing it on stairs also normalizes everyone's stride.
posted by Rhomboid at 5:32 AM on September 11, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Rhomboid at 5:32 AM on September 11, 2014 [2 favorites]
Thanks alms!
Rhomboid nailed it, the only addition being that we used a Pure Data app to trigger everyone's click track over wifi so that everyone started in sync. Though the movement is simple, it's actually all trained dancers, as we only had a couple of hours to shoot it.
And I did a lot of testing, as you can see in the five studies.
posted by sixswitch at 5:39 AM on September 11, 2014 [5 favorites]
Rhomboid nailed it, the only addition being that we used a Pure Data app to trigger everyone's click track over wifi so that everyone started in sync. Though the movement is simple, it's actually all trained dancers, as we only had a couple of hours to shoot it.
And I did a lot of testing, as you can see in the five studies.
posted by sixswitch at 5:39 AM on September 11, 2014 [5 favorites]
Awesome! 3 new videos added to watch later with the kids: Bowling balls in forest -> controlled environment -> application in a music video.
posted by joecacti at 6:41 AM on September 11, 2014
posted by joecacti at 6:41 AM on September 11, 2014
do not try to explain this to your mother.
Nyquist Theorem. Except I can't find the really clear and simple explanation I saw a few weeks ago.
posted by Foosnark at 7:43 AM on September 11, 2014
Nyquist Theorem. Except I can't find the really clear and simple explanation I saw a few weeks ago.
posted by Foosnark at 7:43 AM on September 11, 2014
Ah, so that's how the Grateful Dead did it. Square roots!
After 37 minutes, they all come back around to playing the same song -- it's amazing!
posted by Devils Rancher at 8:12 AM on September 11, 2014
After 37 minutes, they all come back around to playing the same song -- it's amazing!
posted by Devils Rancher at 8:12 AM on September 11, 2014
do not try to explain this to your mother.
My mom is a scientist; I'm pretty sure she'd understand it just fine.
posted by KathrynT at 4:04 PM on September 11, 2014
My mom is a scientist; I'm pretty sure she'd understand it just fine.
posted by KathrynT at 4:04 PM on September 11, 2014
My mom had six kids in ten years. That's a household with kids aged 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, and newborn. Somehow I think she'd understand this really well, too.
posted by alms at 7:44 PM on September 11, 2014
posted by alms at 7:44 PM on September 11, 2014
This is only tangentially related, but it's beautiful so I'm posting it.
posted by alms at 7:26 PM on September 28, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by alms at 7:26 PM on September 28, 2014 [2 favorites]
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Even speaking as a theist, I don't know what that means. Creationist mathematical Platonism?
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 11:03 PM on September 10, 2014 [2 favorites]