Construct · 1 fields · 1 citations

pendulum: a standalone construct

One name. One construct. A landmark on the map.

● anchor · a standalone construct Nearest construct by meaning·not indexed
pendulum1 CONSTRUCTPhysical pendulumNELSON · PERIOD LAW

A single standalone construct; nearby constructs are located against it in the Collider. Tap a field for its definition, unit, and measures.

Physics

A mass swinging under gravity about a pivot

In mechanics a pendulum is a body free to swing about a fixed pivot, in which gravity supplies a restoring torque that grows with displacement and so drives a periodic oscillation. For small swings the motion is simple harmonic and the period depends only on the effective length and the local gravitational acceleration, not on the mass or (to first order) the amplitude, which is why the pendulum is a textbook case of the harmonic oscillator and a historical instrument for measuring gravity. Nelson and Olsson's The pendulum—Rich physics from a simple system works through the real behaviour, including the amplitude correction that makes the period lengthen as the swing widens. The referent is an idealised gravitational oscillator defined by its period and restoring dynamics.[1]

Unit
The oscillation period, set by effective length and local gravity
Recovery means
Not applicable
Measured by
Characterised by the period versus length, the small-angle harmonic approximation, and amplitude and damping corrections

Next

Run it through the Collider, or take the citations with you.

See how pendulum sits against neighbouring constructs in the Collider, or export every reference on this page in one click.

Open in ColliderExport BibTeXReport this entry

Nearby constructs

escapement2 fields · 2 citationsjingle · one word, two constructsperiod1 fields · 1 citationsanchor · a standalone constructswing3 fields · 3 citationsjingle · one word, three constructs

References

  1. Nelson, R. A., & Olsson, M. G. (1986). The pendulum: Rich physics from a simple system. American Journal of Physics, 54(2), 112–121. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.14703

Cited on this page?

Confirm your construct, or correct us.

If your work is cited behind one of these entries, you know better than we do whether we captured the meaning right. Confirm it, suggest an edit, or dispute it, and your name goes on the entry as an author who has checked it, linked to your ORCID.

Claim your construct