WOLFRAM|DEMONSTRATIONS PROJECT

Pendulum Hanging from Rolling Disk

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disk
mass
3.5
initial position
1.
pendulum
rod length
2.5
mass of bob
2.5
initial position
0.75
animation
show trace of pendulum bob
A frictionless pendulum hangs from a disk rolling without slipping in a circular well. This Demonstration uses Lagrangian mechanics to compute the equations of motion of the disk and the pendulum and to plot the trace of the pendulum bob.
A horizontal energy gauge shows the total energy of the system, which remains constant while the potential energy and kinetic energy change in opposite directions. For higher energies, the motion becomes chaotic.