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> > The pendulums with which I am familiar do not change period when the
> > bob mass is changed but rather when the pendulum length is changed.
>
> Let's analyze this assertion.
>
> At this juncture two questions must be asked:
> 1) How sure are you of this?
> 2) How do you know this?
I make my assertion on the basis of experimental evidence and it is
therefore as you point out correct to some moderate level of accuracy. I
had not thought about a pendulums oscillations demonstrating the equivalence
principle. I appreciate you pointing that out. I'll enjoy thinking about
that for a while. As far as sorting things out if the period of a pendulum
did depend on its mass, my thinking is that we would have to resort to an
idea that I express to my students every once in a while. Scientific truth
is always decided by experiment except for the occasions when it is not.
Cliff Parker