pendulums
Terms
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- amplitude
- The linear distance or the extent of the movement from the center point to one side.
- Huygens
- A Dutch mathematician and scientist who designed a workable mechanism for a pendulum clock.
- Center of mass
- The middle of an object.
- Weight
- A bob, or an object, at the end of a pendulum.
- Energy
- The ability to do work and to cause motion.
- Symmetry
- A balanced pattern on each side of a fixed point; pendulum paths are symmetrical because the pattern is identical on either side of the center.
- Inertia
- An object at rest, or an object moving, will remain at rest or moving until acted upon by another force (such as gravity); resistance to motion, action, or change.
- Pendulum
- A suspended weight that can be set in motion to swing back and forth from a fixed point. A simple device whose motion depends on gravity.
- Constants
- Things that remain unchanged in an experiment or process.
- Coupled pendulums
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Two separately hung pendulums that are linked together below their pivot points.
- Bob
- A weight suspended at the end of a pendulum in such a way that it is free to swing back and forth.
- Cycle
- A round trip; one swing out and back of the pendulum.
- Friction
- A force that acts to resist motion (movement) between two surface.
- Newton
- An English mathematician, scientist, and philosopher. Major works include his theories on gravity, color, and differential calculus. In the pendulum experiments, Newton's laws of motion can be observed.
- Period
- The duration of a single cycle; the time that a pendulum takes to complete one cycle (one swing out and back).
- Pullback distance
- A term that refers to the distance between the center point of a bob and its point of release.
- Frequency
- The number of waves or complete cycles per unit of time; the number of cycles (round trips) the pendulum makes in a set period of time (usually one minute).
- Oscillation
- A cycle.
- Variable
- Something in an experiment that changes; an experimental factor that is supposed to change so the scientist can determine if a certain action is caused by that variable.
- Gravity
- A force that pulls objects toward the center of the earth, measured by weight; mutual attraction between all masses in the universe.
- Patterns
- Designs consisting of repeated lines and shapes.
- Round trip
- A cycle; one swing of a pendulum out and back.
- Galileo
- An Italian scientist of astronomy and physics. He believed that discovering accurately how natural phenomena occured was more important to scientific advancement than reaching conclusions.
- Stick pendulum
- A type of pendulum that has a stick instead of a string; for example, a grandfather clock has a stick pendulum.
- Hypothesis
- An idea not proved, but assumed to be possible. An assumption used as a basis for action; an "educated guess."