Demo1st Grade3–5 minMeeting 8

Double Pendulum Chaos

The motion quickly becomes very different.

Teaching & key ideas

What you do: Release it from nearly the same starting position twice. What students see: The motion quickly becomes very different. Why it works: Small differences grow in a chaotic system. Question to ask: Can tiny starting differences make a big change?

Lesson flow

Predict → demonstrate → observe → briefly explain → ask: Can tiny starting differences make a big change?