Triple Pendulum Simulation

For our Dynamics final project (fall 2012), I worked with a partner to model a planar compound triple pendulum without damping.  We utilized Lagrangian Energy methods to derive coupled ordinary differential equations of motion for each of the rigid bodies in the system.  The model includes a series of three coupled oscillators, and given an initial position and/or an initial velocity to any of the masses, we could calculate the motion of the triple pendulum. Using MATLAB and a built-in numerical integrator, we were able to evaluate the position of the pendulum. over a set time span. We compared our model to experimental data taken from an actual triple pendulum, and found that they agreed very well with the periodic patterns.  You can read our final report here.