Name: pendulum motion and period
Uploaded: 2023-04-30T11:08:39.000Z
Duration: 1 min 10 s
Channel: JoVE

K12 Standards

Next Generation Science Standards

High School

Physical Science

Energy

HS-PS3-5

Simple Pendulum

An idealized model of a point mass suspended from a non-elastic and massless string is known as a simple pendulum.
Consider a top, freely suspended from a string fixed to a pivot point. It experiences a gravitational force and tension in the string. At the equilibrium position, both these forces balance each other.
When the top is displaced by a small angular displacement and released, it starts oscillating back and forth, executing simple harmonic motion.
The gravitational force at the displaced position is resolved into radial and tangential forces. The radial component counters the tension in the string. The restoring torque acting into the plane equals the tangential component times the string length and brings the top back to the equilibrium position.
In a simple pendulum, the restoring force is directly proportional to the displacement along the arc. By modifying the equations of simple harmonic motion, the period of a simple pendulum is obtained.

simple pendulum

A simple pendulum consists of a small diameter ball suspended from a string, which has negligible mass but is strong enough to not stretch. In our daily life, pendulums have many uses, such as in clocks, on a swing set, and on a sinker on a fishing line. 
The period of a simple pendulum depends on two factors: its length and the acceleration due to gravity. The period is completely independent of any other factors, such as mass or maximum displacement. For small displacements, a pendulum is identical to a simple harmonic oscillator, and the period of a pendulum is nearly independent of amplitude, especially if &#952; is less than approximately 15&#176;. Applying Newton's second law for rotational systems, the equation of motion for a pendulum is obtained.
<img alt="Pendulum motion equation d&#178;&#952;/dt&#178; = -(mgL/I)&#952;; physics formula." src="/files/ftp_upload/12767/12767_%20Equation_1.png" style="text-align: center; height: 35px;" data-altupdatedat="1761830439000" data-alt="Figure1" />
As an example, consider two simple pendulums suspended from small wires secured to the ceiling of a room. Each pendulum hovers 2 cm above the floor. Pendulum 1 has a bob with a mass of 10 kg. Pendulum 2 has a bob with a mass of 100 kg. Describe how the motion of the pendulums will differ if the bobs are both displaced by 12&#176;.
Since the mass of the bob has no effect on the motion of a simple pendulum, the movement of the pendulums will not differ at all. A pendulum&#8217;s motion is only affected by the period (which is related to the pendulum&#8217;s length) and by the acceleration due to gravity.
This text is adapted from <a href="https://openstax.org/books/college-physics/pages/16-4-the-simple-pendulum">Openstax, College Physics, Section 16.4: The Simple Pendulum </a>and <a href="https://openstax.org/books/university-physics-volume-1/pages/15-4-pendulums">Openstax, University Physics Volume 1, Section 15.4: Pendulums</a>.

A simple pendulum consists of a small diameter ball suspended from a string, which has negligible mass but is strong enough to not stretch. In our daily ...

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Oscillations

KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

pendulum motion and period

A simple pendulum is a small ball, or bob, hanging from a string that has negligible mass and does not stretch. Pendulums appear in everyday life, including clocks, swing sets, and a sinker on a fishing line. Their motion is a useful model for studying repeating movement.

The period of a simple pendulum depends on two factors: its length and the acceleration due to gravity. The period does not depend on the bob’s mass or on the maximum displacement. For small angles, the pendulum behaves like a simple harmonic oscillator. Its period is nearly independent of amplitude when the angle is less than about 15°.

Newton’s second law for rotational systems can be applied to a pendulum to find its equation of motion. This helps describe how the pendulum swings back and forth. For example, two pendulums can have very different bob masses, such as 10 kg and 100 kg, yet still move the same way if they have the same length and are displaced by the same angle.

If both bobs are pulled aside by 12°, their motion will not differ because mass does not affect the motion of a simple pendulum. The swing is set by the period, which is linked to the pendulum’s length, and by gravity. That is why two pendulums with different masses can still stay in step.

Pendulum Motion and Period

simple harmonic motion

Period and Frequency in Simple Harmonic Motion

Simple harmonic motion describes oscillatory motion when the net force follows Hooke's law. In this type of motion, the force acts toward the equilibrium position. If there is no damping from friction or other non-conservative forces, the oscillator moves with equal displacement on both sides of equilibrium. The period of a simple harmonic oscillator is found from the equation of motion. Period is the time for one complete oscillation. Frequency is the inverse of period, so the two values can...

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characteristics of simple harmonic motion

characteristics-of-simple-harmonic-motion

Simple Harmonic Motion: Period and Phase

Simple harmonic motion depends on how displacement, force, and acceleration work together. In this motion, the acceleration of the system, and therefore the net force, is proportional to the displacement and points in the opposite direction. That restoring force pulls the object back toward equilibrium. The period and frequency of a simple harmonic oscillator do not depend on amplitude. A diving board shows this idea well. A stiff, thick diving board has a large force constant, so it has a...

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oscillations about an equilibrium position

oscillations-about-an-equilibrium-position

Stable Equilibrium and Atomic Oscillation

Stable equilibrium is a key idea in oscillation. When an object sits at a stable equilibrium point, a small push moves it away, but it then tends to oscillate around that point. If the equilibrium point is unstable, a slight disturbance will not bring the object back. The transcript also describes a half-stable equilibrium point. It is still considered unstable, but the name comes from the fact that the force on only one side points toward the equilibrium point. That makes it different from a...

energy in simple harmonic motion

Simple Harmonic Motion: Energy and Speed

Simple harmonic motion combines potential energy and kinetic energy. In a spring-like oscillator, Hooke’s law explains the potential energy stored when the string or spring is stretched or compressed. Because there are no dissipative forces, the object also has kinetic energy as it moves.

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frequency of spring-mass system

How Mass and Spring Stiffness Set Oscillation

A spring-mass system shows simple harmonic motion, and its oscillation rate depends on the mass and the spring force constant. In this model, the angular frequency, period, and frequency are set by those two values. They do not depend on the motion’s amplitude or on the initial conditions. To find these relationships, the system can be analyzed with Newton’s second law. Imagine a block on a spring on a frictionless surface. Three forces act on the mass: weight, the normal force, and the spring...

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simple harmonic motion and uniform circular motion

simple-harmonic-motion-and-uniform-circular-motion

Simple Harmonic Motion from Circular Motion

Simple harmonic motion and uniform circular motion are closely linked. Simple harmonic motion is oscillatory motion in a system where the net force follows Hooke’s law. Uniform circular motion is motion along a circular path at constant speed. A simple way to create simple harmonic motion is to use uniform circular motion. One example is a ball attached to a vertical turntable that spins at a steady rate. If you watch the ball’s shadow on the floor, the shadow, or projection, moves in simple...

problem solving: energy in simple harmonic motion

problem-solving-energy-in-simple-harmonic-motion

Energy Conservation in Simple Harmonic Motion

Energy conservation in simple harmonic motion explains how a spring and mass system shares energy as it moves back and forth around equilibrium. Simple harmonic motion, or SHM, is periodic motion in time and position. The object oscillates with a constant amplitude and frequency. In SHM, kinetic energy and potential energy change into each other continuously. A good example is the spring in a car shock absorber as the car moves on a bumpy road. The wheel attached to the spring oscillates in...

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A simple pendulum is a small ball, or bob, hanging from a string that has negligible mass and does not stretch. Pendulums appear in everyday life, including clocks, swing sets, and a sinker on a fishing line. Their motion is a useful model for studying repeating movement. The period of a simple pendulum depends on two factors: its length and the acceleration due to gravity. The period does not depend on the bob’s mass or on the maximum displacement. For small angles, the pendulum behaves like...

torsional pendulum

Angular Oscillation in a Torsion String

Angular oscillation in a torsion string is shown by a rigid body suspended from a string that twists as it moves. The twisting of the string provides the restoring force. The string is ideally massless, and in practice its mass is much smaller than the rigid body&amp;#39;s mass, so it is neglected. When the angular displacement is small, the motion can be modeled as linear angular oscillation. The amplitude is measured as an angle. In this system, the role of mass is played by the rigid...

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physical pendulum

Physical Pendulum Motion and Inertia

A physical pendulum is a rigid body that hangs from a fixed pivot point and swings when it is displaced. Its motion is similar to a simple pendulum. To describe that motion, physicists use the small-angle approximation, where sin θ ≈ θ. This approximation is valid up to about 14°. The period and angular frequency of a physical pendulum can be found by comparing it with a spring-mass system. The mass moment of inertia is the key quantity that describes how the body’s mass is spread around the...

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measuring acceleration due to gravity

Using Pendulums to Find Gravity

Pendulums can be used to measure the acceleration due to gravity. A simple pendulum is a point mass attached to a string. A physical pendulum is an object that swings in a similar way, but its mass is spread out, so it cannot be treated as a point mass on a string. A physical pendulum is described using rotational motion and moment of inertia. In both types of pendulum, gravity provides the restoring force that brings the object back toward the middle of its swing. For a simple pendulum,...

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damped oscillations

Energy Loss in Oscillations

Oscillations in the real world often lose energy as they move. A system that keeps the same amplitude without any loss is called undamped. That kind of motion is rare, because friction and other non-conservative forces usually reduce the motion over time. Common examples show this clearly. A guitar string stops vibrating a few seconds after it is plucked. A swing also needs a person to keep pushing it if the motion is to continue. In some devices, such as car shock absorbers, damping is useful...

types of damping

How Damping Changes Oscillations

Damping changes how a system oscillates by reducing its back-and-forth motion. As damping increases, the period and frequency begin to change because damping opposes motion and lowers the net force in both directions. When damping is very large, the system stops oscillating altogether. It then moves slowly toward equilibrium. An overdamped system reaches equilibrium slowly. An underdamped system reaches equilibrium faster, but it oscillates around the equilibrium point while doing so. A...

forced oscillations

Resonance in Driven Oscillators

Resonance in driven oscillators describes how a periodic force changes an object’s motion. A driven oscillator may first move in a messy way. These early motions are called transients. After the transients die out, the oscillator reaches a steady state. In this state, the motion becomes periodic and the displacement is determined. The amplitude of a driven oscillator can be found from the equations for force and motion. That amplitude depends on the natural frequency of the system and the...

concept of resonance and its characteristics

concept-of-resonance-and-its-characteristics

Resonance in Music, Cars, and Radios

Resonance is a key feature of driven oscillators, and it depends strongly on damping. Damping is the process that reduces motion by removing energy from the system. When a system must resonate at one specific frequency, very light damping is needed. Piano strings and many other musical instruments are common examples of this kind of response. Heavy damping works better when the goal is small-amplitude oscillations. A car suspension system uses this approach so that bumps do not produce large...

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key terms and concepts

Explore how a simple pendulum moves, what sets its period, and why mass does not change its motion. Built for high school physics learners.

Pendulum Motion and Period | JoVE K12

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Pendulum Motion and Period

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