When the midpoint of a pendulum is made to oscillate up and down, a strange phenomena occurs: a stable point is found at the top, that is when the pendulum is suspended upside down. The pendulum oscillates about this point, despite having the highest possible potential energy.

This problem can be analysed in many different ways, ranging from classical mechanics to topology; and passing through algebra, differential equations, and analysis on the way!

Join us at 7:30 in MS.04 as Kevin Crooks tells us about an interesting mathematical approach to the study of nonlinear mechanical systems! Then we oscillate towards the pub.