2005/11/29 by P. Coullet, J. M. Gilli, M. Monticelli +3 · 3 citations
Physics and Astronomy · Computer Science · #Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics #Nonlinear Dynamics and Pattern Formation #Chaos control and synchronization
paper · doi:10.1119/1.2074027
The dynamics of a damped pendulum driven by a constant torque is studied experimentally and theoretically. We use this simple device to demonstrate some generic dynamical behavior including the loss of equilibrium or saddle node bifurcation with or without hysteresis and the homoclinic bifurcation. A qualitative analysis is developed to emphasize the role of two dimensionless parameters corresponding to damping and forcing.