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A
one-meter-long pendulum performs a strange chaotic dance.
Visitors set a pendulum in motion, yet it does not behave
like a simple pendulum because it is tipped with a strong
magnet. On the table beneath it are three strong magnets oriented
to repel the bob. Visitors position the three magnets about
on the table to produce different chaotic paths; they also
choose the starting position and speed of the pendulum. The
sensitive dependence of motion on initial conditions is a
property of chaotic systems. The name Strange Attractor was
given to this exhibit because due to arrangements of the three
table magnets, the pendulum will come to rest at different
locations depending on where and how the pendulum is started.
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