Group 5 2014

Members: Caligan, Lucas, Li, Norris

Introduction

In 1665, the Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens discovered that two pendulum clocks mounted on the same wall synchronize with one another---the bobs swing with the same frequency but exactly out of phase Huygen. The origin of this effect is weak coupling of the clocks mediated through the wall’s vibrations. Since then, the seemingly old topic of synchronization has developed into one of the most actively studied phenomena, in such diverse contexts as coupled lasers in optics, firing neurons in the brain, synchronous flashing by fireflies and rhythm of applause at concerts. It has been of conceptual interest to scientists in the fields of applied mathematics, nonlinear dynamics, statistical physics and material science.