The science behind the pendulum is explained through the forces of gravity and inertia. The Earth’s gravity attracts the pendulum. ... This means that since the pendulum is now in motion, it keeps moving , unless there is a force that acts to make it stop. Gravity works on the pendulum while it is moving.
How does a pendulum keep moving?
A pendulum is an object hung from a fixed point that swings back and forth under the action of gravity. ... The swing continues moving back and forth without any extra outside help until friction (between the air and the swing and between the chains and the attachment points) slows it down and eventually stops it.
What causes the pendulum to swing when it is pulled to one side and released?
When the force of gravity pulls down on an object that has been dropped, the force of gravity does positive work on the object. When a pendulum bob is pulled back and released from rest, the force of gravity does positive work on the bob as it swings down.
Why must the pendulum swing through a small angle?
A pendulum swinging through a large angle is being pulled down by gravity for a longer part of its swing than a pendulum swinging through a small angle, so it speeds up more , covering the larger distance of its big swing in the same amount of time as the pendulum swinging through a small angle covers its shorter ...
Why does the pendulum not swing perfectly?
No pendulum can swing forever because the system loses energy on account of friction . That’s why a grandfather clock has to be rewound every few days, to inject a little energy back into the system.
How do I keep my pendulum swinging?
The pendulum needs to swing exactly equal distances from dead center to the left , as from dead center to the right. If a clock is out of beat, the pendulum will swing for a few minutes, then stop even if the clock case is level.
How do you tell if a pendulum is saying yes or no?
Here’s an example of how to program the “yes” signal: Holding the pendulum in position, say “When I ask a question and the answer is yes, move like this, in a clockwise circle .” (or whatever signal you’ve chose for “yes”).
Where does energy go when a pendulum stops swinging?
A pendulum stops oscillating because it loses energy when it is converted into heat . Even without air friction, the friction which exists with the point around which the pendulum rotates causes the system to lose kinetic energy and eventually stop.
What affects the swing rate of a pendulum?
The swing rate, or frequency, of the pendulum is determined by its length . The longer the pendulum, whether it is a string, metal rod or wire, the slower the pendulum swings. Conversely the shorter the pendulum the faster the swing rate.
Why does the pendulum stop after a while?
The reason a clock pendulum often stops swinging, after being moved, is because the clock case now leans at a slightly different angle then it did at its former location . ... A clock is “in beat” when the tick and the tock are evenly spaced.
Why doesn’t mass affect a pendulum?
The mass of a pendulum’s bob does not affect the period . ... As mass increases, so does the force on the pendulum, but acceleration remains the same. (It is due to the effect of gravity.) Because acceleration remains the same, so does the time over which the acceleration occurs.
What does a pendulum period depend on?
The period of a pendulum does not depend on the mass of the ball, but only on the length of the string . Two pendula with different masses but the same length will have the same period. Two pendula with different lengths will different periods; the pendulum with the longer string will have the longer period.
Why does the length of string affect a pendulum?
The longer the length of string, the farther the pendulum falls ; and therefore, the longer the period, or back and forth swing of the pendulum. The greater the amplitude, or angle, the farther the pendulum falls; and therefore, the longer the period.)
Why does the weight of a pendulum not affect the swing?
The mass on a pendulum does not affect the swing because force and mass are proportional and when the mass increases so does the force . In the formula, “l” is the length and “g” is the force of gravity. Therefore, the mass does not affect the period of the pendulum.
Why does pendulum not hit face?
When you let go of the ball, it swings downward like a pendulum. As it starts swinging, the energy changes from potential energy to kinetic, or moving, energy. ... Since the total energy has to stay constant, the kinetic energy of the ball must be zero and the ball must stop moving . It can’t hit you!
How long will a pendulum swing?
A pendulum with a length of 1 meter has a period of about 2 seconds (so it takes about 1 second to swing across an arc). This means that there is a relationship between the gravitational field (g) and Pi.
