Details

The total frequency of each pendulum is given by the sum of the "coarse tuning" and "fine tuning" sliders.

The "max recursion" slider can be used to improve plot quality in certain circumstances.

Snapshot 1: by deactivating pendulums 2 and 4 we can simulate a two-pendulum harmonograph: this also serves as an example of a damped Lissajous curve

Snapshot 2: here we have used only two pendulums again but by switching off the damping we get a standard, undamped Lissajous curve

Snapshot 3: here we have switched on all four pendulums, switched off damping, and altered the phases of each pendulum such that the system of equations is now similar to those that produce spirograph-like patterns

Snapshot 4: this is an example of a harmonograph pattern produced using all four damped pendulums

Snapshot 5: a butterfly-like pattern produced using three damped pendulums

Snapshot 6: a four-pendulum example

Snapshot 7: another four-pendulum example

Snapshot 8: a rather chaotic-looking four-pendulum example

For more details concerning this Demonstration visit http://www.walkingrandomly.com/?p=151