Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-24-1997
Publication Title
American Journal of Physics
Department
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
The design and construction of a mechanical Duffing oscillator suitable for use in an undergraduate laboratory is described. The oscillator provides a straightforward introduction to nonlinear vibrations and chaotic behavior that is both pedagogically appealing and easily adapted to students at various levels of sophistication. Good agreement is observed between the motion of the oscillator and computer simulations, which provides students with an introduction to the power of mathematical modeling. Period-doubling routes to chaos can be observed both experimentally and numerically.
DOI
10.1119/1.18670
Dartmouth Digital Commons Citation
Berger, J. E. and Nunes, G., "A Mechanical Duffing Oscillator for the Undergraduate Laboratory" (1997). Dartmouth Scholarship. 3670.
https://digitalcommons.dartmouth.edu/facoa/3670
