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Newton's three laws of physics describe the concept of force. The laws of force are only valid in "inertial reference frames," which means that they are only correct according to observers that are not accelerating (i.e. observers that are either standing still, or moving with constant speed).

The Earth is NOT an inertial reference frame (though for most cases it can be approximated as one, since the acceleration of an object on Earth is small). Since Earth is accelerating, Newton's laws are not 100% valid according to someone that is rotating with Earth. What this means is that a person on Earth, measuring the force on some object on Earth, will find that there are forces acting on the object which have no actual cause via interaction with other objects.

Due to Earth's rotation, an object moving along the surface of Earth with some velocity will appear to have a force acting on it which causes it to travel in a circle. A Foucalt pendulum exhibits this phenomenon. The pendulum seems to change its swinging direction at the same rate as Earth's rotation. See Wikipedia.org/wiki/Foucault_pendulum for some animations on this.

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Q: How foucoults pendulum works?
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How would you use 'pendulum' in a sentence?

The pendulum swings back and forth in a mesmerizing rhythm.


How pendulum clock work?

A pendulum clock works by using the swinging motion of a pendulum to regulate the movement of the clock's gears. As the pendulum swings back and forth, it ticks off intervals of time, allowing the clock's gears to move at a precise rate. This consistent movement is what keeps the hands of the clock accurately displaying the time.


How does a pendulum clock work?

A pendulum clock works by utilizing the regular swinging motion of a suspended weight on a rod (the pendulum) to regulate the passage of time. The period of the pendulum's swing is usually set to one second, so each swing back and forth represents one second passing. The swinging motion of the pendulum powers the gears in the clock mechanism, allowing the hands to move in a precise and consistent manner to indicate the time.


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.


How does the length of the pendulum effect the pendulum?

The longer the length of the pendulum, the longer the time taken for the pendulum to complete 1 oscillation.


The weight on a pendulum is called?

The weight on a pendulum is called a bob or pendulum bob. It is a mass that hangs from the end of the pendulum arm and helps determine the period of oscillation.


Frictionless pendulum is an example of?

Frictionlist pendulum is an example of the pendulum of a clock, a reversible process, free.


How does the length of a pendulum affect the frequency?

A longer pendulum will have a smaller frequency than a shorter pendulum.


What happens when you double the mass of a pendulum?

Doubling the mass of a pendulum will not affect the time period of its oscillation. The time period of a pendulum depends on the length of the pendulum and the acceleration due to gravity, but not on the mass of the pendulum bob.


What are the limitation of simple pendulum?

The popular formula for the period of a pendulum works only for small angular displacements. In deriving it, you need to assume that theta, the angular displacement from the vertical, measured in radians, is equal to sin(theta). If not, you need to make much more complicated calculations. There are also other assumptions to simplify the formula - eg string is weightless. The swing of the pendulum will precess with the rotation of the earth. This may not work if the pendulum hits its stand! See Foucault's Pendulum (see link). The motion of the pendulum will die out as a result of air resistance. Thermal expansion can change the length of the pendulum and so its period.


Which factor affects the period of the pendulum?

The period of a pendulum is affected by the angle created by the swing of the pendulum, the length of the attachment to the mass, and the weight of the mass on the end of the pendulum.


How does the period of a pendulum change for length?

The period of a pendulum is directly proportional to the square root of its length. As the length of a pendulum increases, its period increases. Conversely, if the length of a pendulum decreases, its period decreases.