Physics › Section K · Oscillations and waves › Topic K.3
The simple pendulum
A weight on a string, swinging gently, keeps remarkably steady time. For small swings it is a simple harmonic oscillator whose period depends only on its length and the strength of gravity, which is why pendulums ran clocks for centuries and still measure g today.
In this topic
- A mass on a string
- The restoring force
- The small-angle approximation
- The period of a pendulum
- Worked example: on Earth and on the Moon
- Length is what matters
- Worked example: measuring g
- Large swings
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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