Different Points on Pendulum:
- Centre of oscillation: The center of oscillation is a point on a compound pendulum where, if all the mass were concentrated, the time period of oscillation would remain the same.
- Centre of percussion: The center of percussion is a specific point on a pendulum, where an impact will not cause a reactive force at the pivot point.
- Centre of suspension: The center of suspension is the point about which a pendulum is hung and around which it oscillates.
- Centre of mass: Centre of mass of a body is that point at which the entire mass of the body can be assumed to be concentrated for describing the translatory motion of a body.
- Centre of gravity: The center of gravity of a body is the point at which the entire weight of the body can be assumed to be concentrated for describing its translatory motion under the influence of gravity.
The effective length is the distance between the point of suspension and the center of oscillation.
Different Types of Pendulum:
- Simple Pendulum: A simple pendulum consists of a heavy particle suspended from a fixed support through a light inextensible string.
- Compound Pendulum: A compound pendulum (or physical pendulum) is a rigid body that oscillates about a horizontal axis in a vertical plane.
Details: Unlike a simple pendulum, which is modelled as a point mass at the end of a massless string, a compound pendulum has mass distributed along its length and can be any shape. Its oscillatory motion depends on the distance from the axis of rotation to its centre of mass and its moment of inertia about the axis.
Questions from below are rarely asked.
- Barton’s Pendulum: Barton’s pendulum consists of multiple pendulums of varying lengths, all suspended from a common horizontal bar. When one pendulum (the driver) is set in motion, it transfers energy to the others through the bar.
- Conical Pendulum: A conical pendulum is a mass attached to a nearly massless string, held at one end, and swung in horizontal circles, causing the string to trace a cone shape.
