Abstract
We consider the dynamics of ‘roller-coaster’ type experimental models used as analog devices for nonlinear oscillators. It is shown how to chose the shape of the track in order to achieve a desired oscillator equation, in terms of the are length coordinate or its projection onto the horizontal. Explicit calculations are carried out for the linear oscillator, the so-called ‘escape equation’, the two-well Duffing oscillator, and the pendulum.
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Shaw, S.W., Haddow, A.G. On ‘roller-coaster’ experiments for nonlinear oscillators. Nonlinear Dyn 3, 375–384 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00045073
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00045073