Simple Pendulum Essays Examples

A simple pendulum is constructed by suspending a mass at the end of a string, which has negligible mass. When the pendulum is displaced from its equilibrium position it moves to and fro in a periodic fashion. This movement of the pendulum is called simple harmonic movement. This back and fro movement is influenced by gravity. The time, a pendulum takes to move back and forth is dependent on the length of the pendulum. It was Galileo who first made this observation. The length of the pendulum is measured from the point of suspension to the centre of the mass of its bob. The amplitude of a pendulum is the angle of displacement from its equilibrium point. The time taken for pendulum to move once to and fro (from one crest to the next crest) is called the period of the pendulum. This property of the pendulum to move back and forth at regular period is made use in time keeping.
The period of a pendulum (T) can be calculated using the following formula. T=2 π √ (L/g); where L is length and g is gravity. We can use this formula to solve g, when T and L are known. From the formula we also understand that period and length of pendulum are directly proportional. Longer pendulum has a greater period than smaller ones. The period of a simple pendulum is neither dependent on amplitude nor mass of the bob. The frequency of a pendulum is calculated using the formula f =1/T, where f is frequency in hertz.