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A Simple Pendulum

    The three requirements for simple harmonic motion are:
    • a restoring force
    • the system has inertia
    • and the acceleration of the bob is directly proportional to its displacement and is always directed to an equilibrium position.
    The pendulum has inertial mass m, the restoring force is the component of the weight along the arc mg sinθ, and the acceleration is always directed to the lowest position. If the angle is less than 10° then acceleration:a = -gs/L = -(2πf)2s     so        f = (1/2π)√(g/L)

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Specification: Edexcel Physics (9PH0), A-level, Topic 13: Oscillations, statements 181 and 183. Topic: Simple Harmonic Motion.

Key terms in this lesson

stefan-boltzmann law
The law stating that the power radiated per unit area of a black body is proportional to the fourth power of its absolute temperature.
parallax
The apparent change in position of a nearby object against a more distant background when viewed from two different points, used to measure stellar distance.
red supergiant
A very large, extremely luminous, cool star formed when a high-mass star's outer layers swell as its core fuses progressively heavier elements.

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