Pendulum Lab
Link to Simulation (requires flash)
Use this simulation to explore the behavior of two simple pendulums.
- For small displacement angles, period is supposed to be independent of mass and amplitude (amount you pull the pendulum back). Is it true?
- How big does the amplitude need to be before this approximation breaks?
- Does the period ever depend on the mass?
- Grandfather clocks used to use a pendulum with a period of 2 second (1 second between "tick" and "tock"). How long was this pendulum?
- Can you determine the acceleration due to gravity on "planet X"?