Related papers: Isochronic Pendulum
We describe quantum behaviors of a simple harmonic oscillator, starting from the classical mechanics. By imposing two conditions on the phase points generated from a symplectic algorithm, we obtain discrete energy levels, satisfying $E_n…
We analyze a very simple variant of the Lorentz pendulum, in which the length is varied exponentially, instead of uniformly, as it is assumed in the standard case. We establish quantitative criteria for the condition of adiabatic changes in…
We describe a magnetically driven torsional oscillator that is well suited for teaching the physics of simple harmonic motion using a collection of hands-on, quantitative experiments. The mechanical Q of the system can be tuned using…
When identifying instruments that have had great influence on the history of physics, none comes to mind more quickly than the pendulum. Though 'birthed' by Galileo in the 16th century, and in some respects nearly 'dead' by the middle of…
We establish a relationship between the normalized damping coefficients and the time that takes a nonlinear pendulum to complete one oscillation starting from an initial position with vanishing velocity. We establish some conditions on the…
The change of the plane of oscillation of a Foucault pendulum is calculated without using equations of motion, the Gauss-Bonnet theorem, parallel transport, or assumptions that are difficult to explain.
The classical dynamics of a particle that is driven by a rapidly oscillating potential (with frequency $\omega$) is studied. The motion is separated into a slow part and a fast part that oscillates around the slow part. The motion of the…
Being able to measure time, whether directly or indirectly, is a significant advantage for an organism. It permits it to predict regular events, and prepare for them on time. Thus, clocks are ubiquitous in biology. In the present paper, we…
It is pointed out that there are some fundamental difficulties with the frequently used continuous-time formalism of the spin-coherent-state path integral. They arise already in a single-spin system and at the level of the "classical…
The Feynman path integral for the generalized harmonic oscillator is reviewed, and it is shown that the path integral can be used to find a complete set of wave functions for the oscillator. Harmonic oscillators with different…
We study the precession of a Foucault pendulum using a new approach. We characterize the support anisotropy by the difference between the maximum and minimum periods of the pendulum along the principal axes of the support. Then we compute…
The harmonic oscillator Hamiltonian, when augmented by a non-Hermitian $\cal{PT}$-symmetric part, can be transformed into a Hermitian Hamiltonian. This is achieved by introducing a metric which, in general, renders other observables such as…
It is shown that the eigenvalue problem for the Hamiltonians of the standard form, $H=p^2/(2m)+V(x)$, is equivalent to the classical dynamical equation for certain harmonic oscillators with time-dependent frequency. This is another…
In this paper we develop a straightforward procedure to construct higher dimensional isochronous Hamiltonian systems. We first show that a class of singular Hamiltonian systems obtained through the $\Omega$-modified procedure is equivalent…
Ideal rods and clocks are defined as an infinitesimal symmetry of the spacetime. Since no a priori geometric structure is considered, all the possible models of spacetime are obtained.
Simple Hamiltonian systems, such as mathematical pendulum or Euler equations for rigid body, are solved without computation. It is nothing but a joke but maybe you will find it nice.
We compare the performance of several discretizations of the simple pendulum equation in a series of numerical experiments. The stress is put on the long-time behaviour. We choose for the comparison numerical schemes which preserve the…
When an oscillator switches abruptly between different frequencies, there is some ambiguity in deciding how the system should be modelled at the switch. Here we describe two seemingly natural models of a switch in a simple…
The article provides the formula for the calculation the falling time of inverted pendulum. The result is expressed in terms of elliptic integrals of first kind. The asymptotic formula for small initial inclination value is also provided.
Models of a playground swing have been studied since the 1960s. However, in most of them, the position of the swinger is controlled directly. This simplifies the problem but hides the mechanics of torques applied to keep the swing moving in…