STUDENT RESEARCH PROJECT:  An ongoing project in physics

 

The motion of a Dipole moment in periodic magnetic field.  A magnet is subject to a periodic force; its motion can be 1) periodic 2) multiperiod motion   3) chaotic

 

Magnetic field is provided by Helmholtz coils, a neodymium magnet used as a dipole.

 

Preliminary results:

 

DATA (radian versus time in seconds), collected 240 seconds at 10 Hz.

 

 

3D Phase Space:  Basically angle versus angular speed:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Differenced Data:  Generated by x (t)- x(t-1), where x is the angle of the magnet with a fixed direction.  Horizontal axis is the data point number, nit seconds.  For example, 40 implies 40 * 0.1 = 4 seconds into the recording.

 

 

 

 

 

Phase space for differenced data:  This cobweb looking object is called a Chaotic Attractor:

 

 

Fast Fourier Transform:  This shows the dominant frequencies of the periodic motion of the magnet in a changing magnetic field (f = 0.44 Hz, amplitude of the input signal is 8 volts).