Critique Solicited

[noonespecial]

IMO, both A & B  'T' bar pendulums will move to their respective balance points i.e. where their individual CoM/CoG is beneath their pivot - because they are linked via a parallelogram arrangement they will find a position of equilibrium between them - there will be some movement of the main teeter-totter from inertia re: action & reaction, & the T bars will continually adjust their balancing points below their pivots - the CoG of the whole arrangement will seek & find its lowest Potential Energy [it only initially moves because you have arranged it in a favourable position, to start with more PE than it would otherwise have] - when the momentum of seeking the lowest PE is used up by friction & windage etc the apparatus will stop its dampened swing & stand stationary with its CoG directly beneath the center pivot.

As far as I can tell the arrangement will act as an dampener of movement [leading to stability] rather than creating a constantly unstable device [leading to instability - an un-natural state].

Thanks for the positive critique. I have a small confession at this point....I have about 90% of this completed. The change in position of the weights is rather violent and I'm actually looking for a way to dampen the change in position. I think if you study this a little more you will see that it would almost impossible to reach an equilibrium point. Both weights would have to somehow roll to the center point of both trays at the exact same time and stay there.

[fletcher]

I was going to suggest you build it - it seems easy enough - let us know what you discover - the balls will find & stay on one side [no favoured bias if constructed acurately] but the system CoG will be directly beneath the center pivot in the mechanism balanced position i.e. no torque position.

Felt in the bottom of the containers may dampen the oscillations.

Better still - make it a rolling steel ball in an oil bath [frictional viscosity].