Can a toy, Jacob's Ladder, be explained mathematically?

[woodsprite]

Went to say goodnight to my son tonight and he was trying to see if he could do it. I told him I'd try to find out if it was possible, but I haven't had much luck so far. At 13, that would not have been what I would have chosen as a relaxing bedtime activity.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. I had one of those things -

The way it works, as I recall, is that the blocks just appear to cascade when in fact they are just flipping over. I don't think you need math to explain it.

[woodsprite]

2. Yeah, I didn't think it did either.

My brain hurts from trying to make sense out of his attempts to explain his idea to me. I am just so not into math.

[MyshkinCommaPrince]

3. Not sure if this answers the question...

Quick Google find.

http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/TTT-rings/rings.htm

[dimbear]

4. The other kind of Jacob's ladder, the one you see in Frankenstein movies, is pretty complex.

A plasma is created by the arc between two electrodes, and being lighter than the surrounding air (or blown upwards by the heated air) it rises. The gap between the electrodes gradually widens and the arc eventually flames out. Then it starts up again from near the base. It's a rather complex sort of relaxation oscillator. Looks cool, tho. You always need one to make monsters. Can't say why.

[eppur_se_muova]

5. He might be interested in knot theory ...

Last edited Mon Sep 30, 2013, 08:07 PM - Edit history (1)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knot_theory

Ooooops, sorry, different Jacob's ladder. I was thinking of string figures.