Juggling Dynamics

This webinar explores jugglers' dependence on muscle memory and dynamical prediction. If every throw is considered to be an independent event, there exist juggling patterns in which the reaction time required to make successive catches and the precision needed to make perfect throws exceeds human capabilities. Using simulations with Gaussian deviations applied to throw angles and velocities, we reinforce this claim and compare the stability of various juggling patterns known as siteswaps. We show that throw angles and velocities affect very distinct aspects of juggling performance, and we obtain criteria on each that are needed to avoid juggling failures. Originally aired August 2021.