retroremakes
February 2nd, 2010, 02:05
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/4/2010/02/500x_rsz_harmonograph.jpg (http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/4/2010/02/rsz_harmonograph.jpg)If you're like me, you looked at this picture and the name "Three-Pendulum Rotary Harmonograph (http://gizmodo.com/tag/threependulumrotaryharmonograph/)" and felt confused and a little bit threatened. But fear not! Turns out it's one of those fun spirograph-like things you see at science museums.
Unlike a spirograph (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirograph), a harmonograph (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonograph) uses pendulums (instead of human effort—I mean, I'll go to the gym if I'm gonna work out, know what I mean?) to create its elegant Lissajous curves (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lissajous_curve).
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/4/2010/02/500x_harmonograph_images.jpg (http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/4/2010/02/harmonograph_images.jpg)
This one uses three pendulums, which creates some pretty complex and cool-looking patterns, even better than the clear plastic spirograph I used in third grade. The project isn't even all that hard: Looks like it takes a bit of careful balancing, but the actual construction is pretty standard woodshop kind of stuff. Pretty cool! [Karl Sims (http://www.karlsims.com/harmonograph/index.html) via MAKE (http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/02/how-to_make_a_three-pendulum_rotary.html)]
http://ads.pheedo.com/img.phdo?p=1 (http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?p=1) http://a.rfihub.com/eus.gif?eui=2226 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?d=H0mrP-F8Qgo</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?a=VulLO6YwRFA:s2y4ED20PG0:H0mrP-F8Qgo) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?d=yIl2AUoC8zA</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?a=VulLO6YwRFA:s2y4ED20PG0:yIl2AUoC8zA) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?i=VulLO6YwRFA:s2y4ED20PG0:D7DqB2pKExk</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?a=VulLO6YwRFA:s2y4ED20PG0:D7DqB2pKExk) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?i=VulLO6YwRFA:s2y4ED20PG0:V_sGLiPBpWU</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?a=VulLO6YwRFA:s2y4ED20PG0:V_sGLiPBpWU)
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~4/VulLO6YwRFA
More... (http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/VulLO6YwRFA/diy-uh-three+pendulum-rotary-harmonograph)
Unlike a spirograph (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirograph), a harmonograph (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonograph) uses pendulums (instead of human effort—I mean, I'll go to the gym if I'm gonna work out, know what I mean?) to create its elegant Lissajous curves (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lissajous_curve).
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/4/2010/02/500x_harmonograph_images.jpg (http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/4/2010/02/harmonograph_images.jpg)
This one uses three pendulums, which creates some pretty complex and cool-looking patterns, even better than the clear plastic spirograph I used in third grade. The project isn't even all that hard: Looks like it takes a bit of careful balancing, but the actual construction is pretty standard woodshop kind of stuff. Pretty cool! [Karl Sims (http://www.karlsims.com/harmonograph/index.html) via MAKE (http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/02/how-to_make_a_three-pendulum_rotary.html)]
http://ads.pheedo.com/img.phdo?p=1 (http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?p=1) http://a.rfihub.com/eus.gif?eui=2226 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?d=H0mrP-F8Qgo</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?a=VulLO6YwRFA:s2y4ED20PG0:H0mrP-F8Qgo) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?d=yIl2AUoC8zA</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?a=VulLO6YwRFA:s2y4ED20PG0:yIl2AUoC8zA) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?i=VulLO6YwRFA:s2y4ED20PG0:D7DqB2pKExk</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?a=VulLO6YwRFA:s2y4ED20PG0:D7DqB2pKExk) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?i=VulLO6YwRFA:s2y4ED20PG0:V_sGLiPBpWU</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?a=VulLO6YwRFA:s2y4ED20PG0:V_sGLiPBpWU)
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~4/VulLO6YwRFA
More... (http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/VulLO6YwRFA/diy-uh-three+pendulum-rotary-harmonograph)