350 yr old Synchronized clock mystery solved.

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
OMG! Scientists "discovered" what a person instinctively knew 350 years ago.
Now we can actually use that information because it has been certified by somebody with a college degree.:)
 

kubeek

Joined Sep 20, 2005
5,794
Hmm, could it be something like this?
Something that is understood for I´d guess a few hundred years, but now that someone wrote that specific paper, we have finally solved a 350 year old "mystery" :rolleyes:
 

JoeJester

Joined Apr 26, 2005
4,390
from the article ...
These findings suggest that much remains unknown about how coupled pendulum clocks behave, Peña said. "There still are hidden secrets to be revealed, and consequently, further studies of this system are necessary in order to unveil more details about the complex yet intriguing synchronization phenomenon," Peña said.
There is still a need to FUND this project, as the scientists hasn't milked the government teat enough.
 

BR-549

Joined Sep 22, 2013
4,928
Are you sure they really proved that? Instead of putting all metronomes on a common surface, suspend the metronomes via a spring.

Will, they not sync?

Sync slower?

Or sync faster?
 

Ramussons

Joined May 3, 2013
1,404
Extending the phenomenon, if half a dozen Cesium clocks are placed side by side, will they all synchronise, saving the hardware required for generation of Master Clocks?
 

ScottWang

Joined Aug 23, 2012
7,397
Hmm, could it be something like this?
Something that is understood for I´d guess a few hundred years, but now that someone wrote that specific paper, we have finally solved a 350 year old "mystery" :rolleyes:
Do you know why they finally became synchronizating?
 

BR-549

Joined Sep 22, 2013
4,928
I think that there is more to it than acoustic vibration.

I believe the force of gravity has two vectors. We are all familiar with the attractive vector.

I believe there is an angular vector, which is perpendicular to the attractive vector.

In the metronome example, the attractive vector is in sync via a surface.

I think we are watching gravity's angular (rotational) vector come into sync.

The pendulum's rotational vector changes in mid swing, causing a wobble, instead of full rotation.

Wobble sync.
 

tcmtech

Joined Nov 4, 2013
2,867
Do you know why they finally became synchronizating?
I would be curious to try the same experiment on a massive concrete base rather than a lightweight flexible styrofoam sheet.

Odds are it wouldn't work so well without the light flexible moveable base to aid in the synchronization effect.;)
 
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