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A simple pendulum (a weight hanging from a string swinging back and forth) is a gravity driven system. The pendulum weight is released, falls down, swings through the low point, rises up until it reaches the same height as it was released on the other side, reverses direction and falls down. Satellites in orbit do not have an interior gravity field to drag things down (think of all the Shuttle photos with astronauts demonstrating floating pens and globs of water) so the description of the pendulum action would be: Pendulum weight is released and hangs there.
The equation for the period of a simple pendulum:
T=2 pi (L/g)0.5 (T=period, L=string length, g=acceleration of gravity)
indicates the need for gravity field for the pendulum to swing. At zero gravity T goes to infinity. The pendulum does not swing.
An Addendum:
There was a followup question - what if the satellite was spinning (e.g. Had an artificial spin induced "gravity"
: So so far most of the shuttles and satellites with enough room to swing a pendulum have not enjoyed spin or other induced "artificial gravity" so I didn't consider it in the question. But it does sound like fun to think about. : I had started to develop a long explanation using the vectors of spin induced gravity in a spaceship. Then I had a flashback to a book I had back before satellites were in orbit. The picture was one of those old big wheel type habitats spinning in space. Workers just hung there in the axle area in their own orbit with no impact from the rotation (spin doesn't radiate gravity waves) This is not the case for the pendulum as it is attached to the spinning object and eventually moves in a way that causes it to become part of the rotation. This results from the weight's reaction on being released to move tangentially to the arc of the spin. : Since the spinning satellite is essentially a gyroscope it will orient itself (the axis of rotation)in one direction against space. The pendulum weight swing can have two components: in the same direction as this axis, and with and against the rotation. : In the case of the weight's component of swinging in the rotation plane, the weight is essentially always "down" as far as it can go. Like you spinning with a weight on a string, no matter how close you bring the hand holding the end of the string, the weight always pulls directly out i.e. no swinging : Regarding the component of swing back and forth along the axis, the force pulling on the weight (g) changes with the distance from the axis of rotation the "gravity" changes and the equation I presented for the pendulum in my answer becomes an integral of "g" In addition the weight, it moves antispinward as it falls. An odd image - a chain would hang straight down, a waterfall in a spinning satellite would curve to the antispinaward with every drop at 0 g as it "fell" : NOTE: A bit of experimentation in the back yard indicates that it is hard to get any up and down motion with a weight on a string when I'm spinning. It may be that this motion damps out pretty quickly. : So far we haven't considered pendulum being in the spinning satellite orbiting a planet. If the pendulum were just hanging there in a non-spinning orbiting object it would have a different orbital period from the center of mass of the satellite and a different orbital height for whatever speed it was released at. I think it's faster is lower and slower is further for orbits. We'd have to consider this as well in determining its motion if the pendulum swing took it effectively into a higher or lower orbit .
What else can I help you with?
Can a simple pendulum oscillate during free fall motion?
No, a simple pendulum cannot oscillate during free fall motion because in free fall, the object is accelerating due to gravity and there is no restoring force acting on the object to cause oscillations.
What type of motion does a pendulum have?
A pendulum exhibits simple harmonic motion, which is a type of periodic motion where the restoring force is directly proportional to the displacement from equilibrium. This causes the pendulum to oscillate back and forth in a regular pattern.
What is the time period of simple pendulum at the center of the earth?
The time period of a simple pendulum at the center of the Earth would be almost zero. This is because there is no gravitational force acting at the center of the Earth due to a balanced pull in all directions. Thus, the pendulum would not experience any acceleration and would not oscillate.
Do simple pendulum vibrates in vacuum?
Yes, a simple pendulum can still vibrate in a vacuum because its motion depends on the force of gravity and its initial displacement. The absence of air resistance in a vacuum does not affect the pendulum's ability to swing back and forth.
What is center of oscillation?
The center of oscillation is the point along a pendulum where all its mass can be concentrated without affecting its period of oscillation. It is the point at which an equivalent simple pendulum would have the same period as the actual compound pendulum.
Can a simple pendulum oscillate during free fall motion?
No, a simple pendulum cannot oscillate during free fall motion because in free fall, the object is accelerating due to gravity and there is no restoring force acting on the object to cause oscillations.
What will happen to time period of simple pendulum if taken to satellite?
A simple pendulum will not swing when it's aboard a satellite in orbit. While in orbit, the satellite and everything in it are falling, which produces a state of apparent zero gravity, and pendula don't swing without gravity.
What type of motion does a pendulum have?
A pendulum exhibits simple harmonic motion, which is a type of periodic motion where the restoring force is directly proportional to the displacement from equilibrium. This causes the pendulum to oscillate back and forth in a regular pattern.
What is the time period of simple pendulum at the center of the earth?
The time period of a simple pendulum at the center of the Earth would be almost zero. This is because there is no gravitational force acting at the center of the Earth due to a balanced pull in all directions. Thus, the pendulum would not experience any acceleration and would not oscillate.
Do simple pendulum vibrates in vacuum?
Yes, a simple pendulum can still vibrate in a vacuum because its motion depends on the force of gravity and its initial displacement. The absence of air resistance in a vacuum does not affect the pendulum's ability to swing back and forth.
What is center of oscillation?
The center of oscillation is the point along a pendulum where all its mass can be concentrated without affecting its period of oscillation. It is the point at which an equivalent simple pendulum would have the same period as the actual compound pendulum.
Is a pendulum a simple machine?
There are no moving parts, therefore it is not a machine. A chair is an object.
Is oscillation of compound pendulum or simple pendulum is perfectly simple harmonic motion?
A simple pendulum exhibits simple harmonic motion
Why a compound pendulum is called equivalent simple pendulum?
Compound pendulum is a physical pendulum whereas a simple pendulum is ideal pendulum. The difference is that in simple pendulum centre of mass and centre of oscillation are at the same distance.
Why a compound pendulum is called an equivalent simple pendulum?
A compound pendulum is called an equivalent simple pendulum because its motion can be approximated as that of a simple pendulum with the same period. This simplification allows for easier analysis and calculation of its behavior.
Is a pendulum a wave?
A pendulum moves in simple harmonic motion. If a graph of the pendulum's motion is drawn with respect with respect to time, the graph will be a sine wave. Pure tones are experienced when the eardrum moves in simple harmonic motion. In these cases "wave" refers not to the thing moving, but to the graph representing the movement.
Would you keep amplitude of simple pendulum small or large?
Small: This is to ensure that the motion of the pendulum mostly stays along one direction, i.e. it is swinging back and forth as opposed to rotating or moving erratically. Only when the pendulum is moving in this manner can you say that it follows SHM - Simple Harmonic Motion (If that is the aim of the experiment)
