A 300 frame animation showing what happens when you give a small kick to one of the points on the edge of a regular dodecagon. Left alone, the 12 spoked wheel is stable, but the lines around the edge are a lot shorter than the spokes, so the shape is storing a lot of energy. Once the symmetry is broken this energy can be released into the motion of the particles, as can be seen in this animation.
Script
import SPattern
pat=SPattern.makePattern(12,1,0)
pat.ping(0,45,.005)
pat.relax(300,0,100,True,300)