{"id":19060,"date":"2017-04-06T02:10:22","date_gmt":"2017-04-06T06:10:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/college.unc.edu\/?p=19060"},"modified":"2024-07-02T16:35:54","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T16:35:54","slug":"snake-pendulum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/?p=19060","title":{"rendered":"Snake pendulum fuses art and science"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ast-oembed-container \" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bernardi and Harris\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/w0CUfnlDEkk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>A <a href=\"http:\/\/math.unc.edu\/2017\/04\/arts-everywhere-day\/\">giant snake pendulum<\/a> that will be on display in front of Phillips Hall for <a href=\"http:\/\/artseverywhere.unc.edu\/\">Arts Everywhere Day<\/a> April 7 is a perfect mashup of art and science.<\/p>\n<p>The 8-by-11-foot kinetic sculpture is the brainchild of <a href=\"http:\/\/math.unc.edu\/\">mathematics department<\/a> chair Rich McLaughlin and <a href=\"http:\/\/physics.unc.edu\/\">physics and astronomy department chair<\/a> Christian lliadis in the College of Arts &amp; Sciences. The weights at the end of the pendula are 6-pound Carolina blue shotputs.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19061\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19061\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-19061\" src=\"\/\/casdev.unc.edu\/collegearchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2017\/04\/pendulum-test-1-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Mathematics Ph.D. candidate Francesca Bernardi examines movement of the snake pendulum being built for Arts Everywhere Day. (photo by Kristen Chavez)\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19061\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mathematics Ph.D. candidate Francesca Bernardi examines movement of the snake pendulum being built for Arts Everywhere Day. (photo by Kristen Chavez)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When the 17 pendula of different lengths are released simultaneously, they create an undulating pattern that looks like a slithering snake. The pendula then disengage and swing in separate patterns before coming together again in a large wave. The cycle \u2014 which is hypnotic to watch \u2014 takes about a minute.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe motion they make together is the artistic part, but underlying that, it\u2019s all science,\u201d Iliadis said. \u201cIt\u2019s gravity, tension, energy, linear momentum, air drag, friction. You see symmetry, but where is the symmetry coming from? It\u2019s all equations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The faculty members had the idea to scale up a small tabletop snake pendulum (with Carolina golf balls as weights) that sits on McLaughlin\u2019s office desk. He has used that smaller version for several years in his <a href=\"http:\/\/chancellorssciencescholars.web.unc.edu\/\">Chancellor\u2019s Science Scholars<\/a> summer mathematics course.<\/p>\n<p>On a recent Friday afternoon in the physics and astronomy shop on the first floor of Phillips Hall, Francesca Bernardi, a Ph.D. candidate in mathematics, and Dan Harris, a postdoctoral fellow in mathematics, worked to tune the pendulum. They used a metronome to help coordinate the release of the pendula, and iPhone and iPad cameras to examine the video of the wave movement frame-by-frame and make the proper adjustments. They drafted the plan several weeks ago, and shop manager Phil Thompson built the pendulum. Funds from Arts Everywhere supported the project.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19062\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19062\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-19062\" src=\"\/\/casdev.unc.edu\/collegearchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2017\/04\/pendulum-test-3-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Mathematics postdoctoral fellow Dan Harris makes adjustments to the pendulum using a turnbuckle at the base of the sculpture. (photo by Kristen Chavez)\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19062\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mathematics postdoctoral fellow Dan Harris makes adjustments to the pendulum using a turnbuckle at the base of the sculpture. (photo by Kristen Chavez)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Combining art and science has been a focus of his research throughout his graduate career, Harris said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnyone who walks by and sees the pendulum will be intrigued by it, and that opens a door to a conversation about what makes it work \u2014 how changing the length of the pendula changes the frequency, for instance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Bernardi agreed, and recounted an experience using the 3-D printer in the Hanes Art Center makerspace recently that led to a conversation about art and science.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the people who worked there asked me details about our experiment. Art can be a way to make science more accessible to everyone,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>One of the components of Carolina\u2019s new <a href=\"https:\/\/college.unc.edu\/2017\/03\/09\/qep\/\">\u201cCreating Scientists\u201d Quality Enhancement Plan<\/a> focuses on integrating the arts and humanities with science courses to provide critical thinking skills and an understanding of the myriad ways in which science and culture are intertwined.<\/p>\n<p>Duane Deardorff, director of undergraduate laboratories in physics and astronomy, said faculty members in the department use all kinds of visual elements as teaching tools.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese things draw people in to ask: How does that work? I suspect we will be showing videos of the snake pendulum as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19068\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19068\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-19068\" src=\"\/\/casdev.unc.edu\/collegearchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2017\/04\/pendulum-details-2-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"The weights are made of Carolina blue shotputs. (photo by Kristen Chavez)\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19068\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The weights are made of Carolina blue shotputs. (photo by Kristen Chavez)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>The snake pendulum will also make an appearance at Phillips Hall at the <\/strong><strong>UNC Science Expo<\/strong><strong> on April 22.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Story by Kim Spurr, photos by Kristen Chavez, College of Arts &amp; Sciences; video courtesy of department of mathematics <\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A giant snake pendulum that will be on display in front of Phillips Hall for Arts Everywhere Day April 7 is a perfect mashup of art and science. The 8-by-11-foot kinetic sculpture is the brainchild of mathematics department chair Rich McLaughlin and physics and astronomy department chair Christian lliadis in the College of Arts &amp; Sciences. 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