We are excited to welcome Dr. Raf Vandebril who will be giving a colloquium on October 15th, 2026 in the Smith Undergraduate Education Center 318 (CUE 318). His colloquium is “Exciting Eigenvector — Couple Pendulum — Swinging Balls” and the title, Zoom details, abstract, and speaker bio can be found below. Please join us in welcoming Dr. Vandebril to Pullman and WSU!
Title: Exciting Eigenvectors — Coupled Pendulum — Swinging Balls
Meeting ID: 852 7067 6423
Passcode: 119685
Abstract: In this talk we will transform the abstract theory of eigenvalues and eigenvectors to a real life device! The toy is simple, inexpensive, easy-to-build, easy-to-operate, and consists of a few balls and rope. The motion of these swinging balls will be used to demonstrate the physical reality of eigenvectors. We will demonstrate the device, link it to its mechanics, and analyze the mathematics to analyze the system.
Furthermore, we will show some extra illustrations on a Practicum executed in Leuven, where a model of a shear building is excited.
Speaker Bio: Professor Raf Vandebril is an internationally recognized expert on eigensystem computations and related topics. This talk, which is meant to be both informative and entertaining, will be accessible to graduate and advanced undergraduate students in mathematics, physics, and engineering.