Two young mathematicians think about periodic motion.
- Devyn
- Hey Riley, what is that?
- Riley
- I hooked a weak spring to the bottom of this shelf, then hung a pen on it. I’m watching the pen bounce up and down.
- Devyn
- Sure, I can see that.
- Riley
- See how the pen starts down at the bottom, bounces up to the top, then back to the bottom again?
- Devyn
- Yeah. It’s just repeating that same pattern over and over again.
- Riley
- I graphed the height of that pen, with respect to time. Here’s what I found.
- Devyn
- Hey, that looks familiar!