Pit & Pendulum - Slate
Product ID: 6002
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Description Large Model
The large slate pit & pendulum is made of a remarkable acrylic/resin finished to look exactly like real Pennsylvania gray slate. It even approximates the weight of slate. The heavy metal pendulum is machined from solid stainless steel.
Large Model is 23" tall and measures 9 ½" X 11 1/2" at the base.
Small Model
The small slate model is a desktop version of the large model with chrome plated metal parts.
Small Model is 12" tall and measures 5 ½" x 8" at the base.
The motion of a pendulum demonstrates many things, both scientific and metaphysical. Some pendulums are used to verify the fact that the earth is rotating beneath us, and others, such as ours have the ability to create ever-changing geometric designs.
Ideally the pendulum should just barely scratch the surface of the sand. This will enable it to swing longer and make more detailed designs.
Observe the pendulum in motion and see how it will swing in narrowing circles and ovals until it is making a nearly straight line. Then watch as it reverses it's direction and begins to swing in an opposite direction turning clockwise then counter-clockwise and back again repeatedly.
Within a few minutes you will see how the circles and curved lines begin to create perfect squares and rectangles in the sand, defying what you would expect the pendulum to do. Try starting the pendulum from different directions and you can change the types of designs.
By moving the rocker arm on the acrylic model at different angles in the grooves at the top of the arm, you will be able to change the orientation of the designs and create different patterns.
For those interested, the pendulum converts kinetic energy (energy in motion) into potential energy (energy at rest). When the pendulum momentarily stops at the top of it's arc, it is at the point of it's greatest potential energy and has zero kinetic energy. Potential energy then converts back to kinetic energy as the pendulum begins its swing. During the swing kinetic energy grows stronger and is at it's greatest when the pendulum is at the bottom of it's arc.
The pendulum also looses energy with each oscillation as witnesses by the patterns in the sand growing smaller and smaller. Once properly set up, the Pit and Pendulum can be fascinating to watch.
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