Question

In a science museum, you may have seen a Foucault pendulum, which is used to demonstrate the rotation of the earth. In one museum's pendulum, the 120 kg bob swings from a 17.4-m-long cable with an amplitude of 5.5 degrees. The period of the pendulum is 8.37 s.What is the bob's maximum speed?

Answer 1

We have the next information

m=120 kg

l=17.4m

θ=5.5°

T=8.37s

Then for the speed

`\text{Maximum speed=A}\omega`

For A is the amplitude and omega is the angular speed

`A=l\sin \theta`
`\omega=(2\pi)/(T)`

We substitute

`A=17.4\sin (5.5)=1.67m`
`\omega=(2\pi)/(8.37)=0.75`
`\text{Maximum speed=1.67(0.75)=1.25 m/s}`

ANSWER

Maximum speed 1.25 m/s