Phenomena

Floating in Sync

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Objects on a vibrating liquid bath can interact with each other through the waves they make as they bounce. Here, researchers look at three-armed spinners interacting in pairs and in larger groups. A pair of spinners can synchronize so that they spin together or so that they spin in opposing phases. With more spinners, more complex patterns are possible. The spinners can even “freeze” one another by forming a pattern of standing waves that keep them locked in their orientation. (Video and image credit: J. Barotta et al.; via GoSM)

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