Dynamics of a double pendulum with distributed mass

We investigate a variation of the simple double pendulum in which the two point masses are replaced by square plates. The double square pendulum exhibits richer behavior than the simple double pendulum and provides a convenient demonstration of nonlinear dynamics and chaos. It is also an example of an asymmetric compound double pendulum, which has not been studied in detail. We obtain the equilibrium configurations and normal modes of oscillation and derive the equations of motion, which are solved numerically to produce Poincaré sections. We show how the behavior varies from regular motion at low energies, to chaos at intermediate energies, and back to regular motion at high energies. We also show that the onset of chaos occurs at a significantly lower energy than for the simple double pendulum. © 2009 American Association of Physics Teachers. #DOI: 10.1119/1.3052072$