Two Chaotic Pendulums


About

Physics-based simulation of two driven pendulums that start almost identically; this demonstrates sensitivity to initial conditions of chaotic systems. It looks like a single pendulum at first, but wait for a minute and you will see the two pendulums diverge in their behavior.

Click the "Sim" tab to access parameters such as: starting angle difference, drive amplitude, frequency, mass, gravity, and damping. You can drag the pendulum with your mouse to change the starting position.