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Re: Big Ben...



Greetings! I have a question that I'm hoping someone can help me
out. I know that the period of a pendulum is dependent upon the length
of the pendulum and gravity. (T=2 x pi x (sqr rt. (length/gravity))) I
was watching the Discovery channel and Would You Believe It was on. They
were showing many neat, strange, and weird stuff. They were talking
about some of the clocks and they showed the inside of Big Ben in
London. They showed the pendulum in Big Ben with a small stack of old
pennies on it. By adding or subtracting pennies on the bob of the
pendulum, they could adjust the period of the pendulum. How is this so?
I've always thought the period of the pendulum is independent of its mass.

Dwight
dsouder@ashland.edu

Howdy,

The period of a SIMPLE pendulum is independent of the mass of the pendulum.
The period of a COMPOUND or PHYSICAL pendulum depends upon the ratio of the
Moment of Inertia to the Mass which changes as the mass DISTRIBUTION
changes.

Good Luck,

Herb Schulz
(herbs@interaccess.com)