Description
Exploration of autonomous drawing machines, physical computing mechanisms, and mathematical simulations. Students examine 19th-century mechanical harmonographs, pendulum dynamics, and electronic drawing interfaces.
Key Concepts & Mechanics
- Harmonic Oscillations & Lissajous Curves: Modeling coupled pendulums in code using trigonometric sinusoidal functions, frequency ratios, and exponential decay damping.
- Graphic Sound Synthesis: How Iannis Xenakis’s UPIC System translated hand-drawn gestural arcs into multi-timbral synthesis waveforms.
- Algorithmic Autonomy: Developing generative systems where motion trajectories emerge from mathematical rules rather than manual mouse dragging.
Examples & Algorithms
// Simulating a 2-Pendulum Harmonograph in p5.js
let f1 = 2.001, f2 = 3.000;
let p1 = Math.PI / 2, p2 = 0;
let d1 = 0.001, d2 = 0.001;
function getHarmonographPoint(t) {
let x = width/2 + 200 * Math.sin(t * f1 + p1) * Math.exp(-d1 * t);
let y = height/2 + 200 * Math.sin(t * f2 + p2) * Math.exp(-d2 * t);
return {x, y};
}