3D-Printed Magnetic Pendulum and Double Pendulum Kits Cut Chaos Demonstration Costs Below $15 per Unit for Secondary Physics

The arXiv preprint details parametric CAD files, print settings and classroom protocols for devices that replace fragile commercial apparatus. Students alter magnet spacing or arm lengths between trials, generating bifurcation diagrams from smartphone video data. This closes the loop between theory and measurement in under 45 minutes per station. Prior maker-education efforts focused on static models; these designs embed modifiable parameters that directly map to Lyapunov exponents and phase-space trajectories.

Three implementations were tested across secondary, teacher-training and introductory university cohorts. Pre-service teachers reported higher confidence explaining sensitive dependence after comparing chaotic versus periodic regimes on the same hardware. The paper notes filament costs under $8 and 4-hour print times, yet omits long-term durability data under repeated student handling. A 2024 study in Physical Review Physics Education Research on 3D-printed optics benches showed 18-month median lifespan before recalibration needs, suggesting similar limits here.

What comes next is integration with open-source video analysis apps already used in 40 % of Uruguayan public schools. If teacher networks iterate the designs to include force-sensor mounts, adoption could accelerate beyond the current 12 documented classrooms. The chief gap remains absence of controlled learning-gain measurements against traditional lecture demos.