Have you ever wondered why accurately predicting the weather, earthquakes, traffic flow, asteroid paths, or the next pandemic is so challenging? In this experiment, we look at the unpredictable nature of a seemingly simple system: a magnetic pendulum. This activity will highlight the widespread presence of ‘chaos’ even in day-to-day life.
In our experiment, we will construct a pendulum –similar to those in traditional clocks – but with a twist: it’s influenced by nearby magnets. This small modification shifts its motion from regular, rhythmic movement (called ‘periodic oscillation’) to erratic, wild swings. The pendulum’s path becomes virtually unpredictable when released from a point far from the magnets.
Release the paper clip pendulum from somewhere far from the magnets. Observe its motion. Try to release the pendulum again and again from the same starting position and observe.
It should be virtually impossible to repeat the same path the second time, or to predict which magnet the paper clip eventually comes to rest on.
Chaos is a notion within a broader field called dynamical systems. In essence, a dynamical system is a set of rules or equations that describe how things evolve over time. While such systems have well-understood short-term behavior, their long-term behavior can be quite complicated. At ISTA, the Kaloshin group investigates problems arising from various dynamical systems, from pendulums to asteroids. Their collective pursuit is to contribute new insights to the fascinating field of dynamical systems.
