Fig.1

System Description The SPENDULAP, shown in Fig. 1, is essentially a pendulum system rotated by means of a motor. The motor applies a torque, m, upon the pendulum assembly, which may change with time. The bob of the pendulum revolves around the hinges located at points A and B displayed in Fig. 1. The angle which the bob of the pendulum makes with the remainder of the pendulum system is defined as , while the angle which the remainder of the pendulum system makes with a particular predetermined axis in the x-y plane is defined as . The rotating pendulum assembly has a particular moment of inertia, Ia. The system is idealized for the purposes of our analysis as being simply a hollow rod of length L, a bob of mass m, being affected only by the applied torque m of the motor. The pendulum assembly is formed primarily from aluminum, acrylic, and stainless steel parts. The SPENDULAP is further connected electronically in order to track its motion. The SPENDULAP is depicted schematically in Fig. 2.

Fig.2