Stabilization of A Multibody System

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This demo visualizes stable and unstable numerical methods

If you click this image then you'll get a short animation of the motion of a slider attached to a rotating wheel. Try this now.

The displayed motion is a result of a computer simulation of the equations of motion of these two rigid bodies, using a stabilization method proposed by U. Ascher, H. Chin and S. Reich. It is exact, as far as the human eye can discern.

But now click this image -- you'll get a short animation of another simulation of the same motion using an unstable numerical method. Try this.

The latter displayed motion is a result of a computer simulation of the same equations of motion as the first, ``good animation'', but without the stabilization method. The non-stabilized numerical method yields a drift, i.e. a growing discrepancy between the locations of the slider end and the peg on the wheel to which it was supposed to be attached.

Special thanks to Peter Cahoon for help in the animation .