Q.What is Simple Pendulum? Show that the motion of Pendulum is SHM and hence deduce an expression for time period of the Pendulum.
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →A simple pendulum is a point mass on a massless, inextensible string; for small angular displacements, its restoring force is approximately proportional to displacement (F approximately -(mg/L)x), which is the condition for SHM, giving T = 2pi*sqrt(L/g).
What is a Simple Pendulum?
A simple pendulum is an idealized mechanical system consisting of a point mass (called the 'bob') of mass m, suspended from a fixed rigid support by a massless, inextensible string of length L. When displaced slightly from its equilibrium (vertically hanging) position and released, it oscillates back and forth about that equilibrium position under gravity.
Showing the motion is SHM:
Let the pendulum be displaced through a small angle theta from the vertical. At this displaced position, two forces act on the bob: its weight mg (vertically downward) and the tension T along the string.
Resolve the weight mg into two components:
- mg*cos(theta), along the string (balanced by the tension T)
- mg*sin(theta), perpendicular to the string (tangential to the arc of motion) -- this component acts as the restoring force, always directed back toward the equilibrium (mean) position.
So the restoring force is:
F = -mg*sin(theta)
(the negative sign shows it opposes the displacement)
For SMALL angular displacements (theta small, in radians), we use the small-angle approximation:
sin(theta) approximately theta
So:
F approximately -mg*theta
Now, if x is the linear (arc-length) displacement of the bob along its circular arc from the mean position, and L is the length of the pendulum, then theta = x/L (for small theta). Substituting:
F approximately -mg*(x/L) = -(mg/L)*x
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