When

Now open

Location

Gallery 2

Audience

Everyone

About

Play with predictably unpredictable pendulums in the Angry Arms exhibit! Spin the connected pendulums and watch how the ends of each arm move in a different pattern each time you spin.

How it works

Each arm is a double pendulum – 2 pendulums linked together at their ends. Unlike a single pendulum, the movement of a double pendulum is chaotic. This means small changes in your spin – from the angle of your wrist to the force of the spin – become amplified, resulting in a new, unpredictable pattern.

At home

You can play with a simulated double pendulum online.