spontaneous synchronization

This demonstration is used to explain how starfish move without having a brain.
and how fireflies synchronize flashes in this TEDx talk by Orit Peleg

[yeehaw]

“Dude You’re off tempo!”

“Just give it a second dude”

[Thejigholeman]

they started off as a rag tag group of dancers, but after training they learned the true meaning of teamwork and became friends.

[gabereiser]

For those of you interested in the "why". There are an odd number of metronomes. This makes sure there's a force greater in one direction as 3/5 metronomes will swing that way. This exerts force on metronomes that aren't moving that direction, nudging them backwards from their momentum. This slight nudge backwards counters the pendulum effect causing the metronome to move further towards the side with greater force. Over time this will cause all metronomes to synchronize to the greater force pendulum. If you were to do this with four metronomes it might get interesting as 2 are going left, 2 are going right, but eventually friction in the bearings will force a side.

[sammyspaniel]

It's cool how the 4 on the right are lending some of their energy to the one on the left. Watch the left one. It has a smaller swing than the others and gradually gets greater until it matches the others. For anyone not understanding this the cans and board are the key. The board shifts slightly back and forth dampening some while adding energy to others until synchronicity is achieved.

[philchekalin]

For the next gig Im gonna put my whole band on a stage with wheels!

[RobertKliethermes]

Just as satisfying as when your blinker matches up with the car in front of you.

[TheJadedRaver]

This is exactly what happened with the Millennium bridge in London! People eventually walking in time and amplifying the bridge sway before it was deemed too dangerous to use, closing 3 days after opening.

[puirYorick]

I love this no matter how many times I see it demonstrated.

[stephendann]

This shows the inordinate amount of peer pressure metronomes experience in daily life.

[skirtyboi]

algorithm be like "he'll watch anything at this point"

[Saltience]

If I had to guess, the swinging of each metronome got transferred into the plank they were balancing on, which slowly sped up and slowed down each one until they swung together.

[davidloftus]

It's amazing how the amplitudes eventually sync as well as the frequency.

[codyshann]

It's a classic saying, "If you can't beat them, join them."

[Yeagerists]

The one on the far left may be a slow learner but he's got spunk.

[sixstringedthing]

Shoutout to the one metronome that refused to sync up and kept its own beat for as long as it could.
Don't feel bad man, peer pressure is hard to resist.

[soundmapper]

This can be a life lesson if you can think on a larger scale.

[lucaortolani]

I have to admit it, at the end I felt the need to join into their little dance

[emkmannheim]

Conclusion: you need beer cans to synchronize!

[hugegoogle]

What amazed me was someone owned 5 identical metronomes

[Cgeta]

I feel like this is the kind of discovery someone could have made only because they were bored out of their mind one day