Seven Tales of the Pendulum

The pendulum is a unique physical system which exhibits remarkably varied and complex behavior under many different conditions. It is also a system which in its many manifestations has left a significant imprint on human thought and culture. Using graphs figures and narrative to explain scientific ideas and models Gregory Baker gives a lucid account of the physics of the pendulum showing the reader how the context of the pendulum progresses over four centuries from that of a simple system of classical physics to that of a chaotic system and eventually to that of a modern quantum system. He also describes its fascinating presence in cultural history from its role in timekeeping and measurements of the earth to its importance as a literary symbol of doom. <p/>Seven 'tales' detailing different important facets of the pendulum show the exciting diversity of the science of the pendulum and its untold significance in the history of human intellectual development.<br>